The Huntress
by WHATSHERNAME86
Summary: Emery Lenna Swan has finally made it back to Forks Washington to celebrate the engagement of her younger sister Isabella. What she finds is heartbreaking and now she must pick up the pieces. Along for the ride is the broody she-wolf who hates nearly everyone and the ever burning question of what is true love?
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Emery Lenna Swan has finally made it back to Forks Washington to celebrate the engagement of her younger sister Isabella. What she finds is heartbreaking and now she must pick up the pieces. Along for the ride is the broody she-wolf who hates nearly everyone and the ever burning question of what is true love?

 **I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Emery is mine however. I plan on having two main pairings and it will be a slow burn**

 **Emery's POV**

Three years: A lot has changed in three years. It's been three years since Emery Lenna Swan has seen her father. The ever quiet, awkward, small town police Chief Charlie Swan. But here he is, a man who much rather sit on his recliner with his head in the sand than admit the world around him isn't right and needs fixing. Emery can't really begrudge him of that mentality, after all most individuals are happy to live in ignorance.

Well someone should get this ball rolling and it might as well be me. I really don't know how much longer I can take a stare off with a man that refuses to make eye contact. It's weird.

" _So how have you been Charlie?_ " After some shuffling on his recliner his eyes snap to mine. "Good, I can't really complain, Bella should be here shortly. She is out with that boy's family preparing for the wedding". The way he said boy has the hairs on my neck tingling. " _So I take it you're not a fan of the fiancé?_ " Charlie's body goes stiff at this, I can tell that he is pondering whether to be truthful with his assessment or just give me a generic reply. "She could do better. After everything that he put her thru, she just deserves better" .

I honestly don't know what Charlie is talking about. You see I was the product of too much alcohol and raging hormones. I was raised by my mother and her people which I guess you could classify as OTHER. I spent summers with Charlie to get a feel for how normal humans live. I would spend much of that time with the Clearwater's. Sue would watch me while Charlie was at work. It wasn't bad. I got to hang out with my best friend Leah, well at least until we had a falling out at 16. And two weeks out of the summer I got spend with Charlie and Bella. I didn't meet Renée and Bella until after she was already moved out of Forks and Bella was a toddler. Renée dropped Bella off while she went white water rafting with a boyfriend. To say Bella and I were close would be a stretch. We couldn't be more different. But she is my sister, my blood the only sister that I have.

Bella is 18 years old, shy, quiet, introvert, she is a lot like Charlie. She would rather go along with everything someone else suggested than confront the person. Then pretend that she was fine with it all along. She did the same thing when we were younger. Bella is also apparently getting married to her high-school boyfriend. I on the other hand am 22 and I am a predator. A huntress if you will. If I want something I will stop at nothing until I have it. The fact that I am sitting in my father's den with a sugary sweet corpse smell emitting from the second floor has put me on high alert. This whole visit is playing havoc with my inner monster. Yes as I said before I am a huntress. And a vampire has been coming into the home where my family sleeps is unacceptable.

Charlie has already lost interest in having a conversation and is signaling to the television. He switches the channel to Sports Center. I can't really blame him we never had a relationship. I lived with my mom moving around place to place learning how to survive in a world that has creatures in the shadows that most people don't know exists. Charlie was never really concerned about where I was most of the year. I was a mistake that happened when he was 19.

I excuse myself and head outside; as I walk the perimeter around the house I track one prominent male vampire scent to the tree outside the window leading to Bella's room. I can't help but come to the conclusion that this must be the fiancé due to the fact that the smell of him is so strong and consistent. The likelihood of Bella not knowing about vampirism is very slim. And if she was prey she would have already been dead.

As I consider this fact I shoot a text to a contact asking for information regarding any covenants in the area. From the multiple sugary smells in and around the house old and new I count up to four vampires and one shifter who must be a Quileute Wolf. Still young since the male wasn't able to control his scent. The Quileute people were always a funny bunch. Acting like there legends of protectors were secret but they had no problem telling the general public about their myths around a campfire. A member of the tribe even wrote a book about how the tribe was descendants from actual wolves. They properly thought they were clever but if you are classified as other then you just handed them the keys to your people.

I've completed a full circle around the house when my message notification pings. And there it is the Cullen Clan of seven. They see themselves as vegetarians. Pretending to be human by attending high-school, working at the hospital, church fundraisers...etc. What a bunch of bull shit. Attached is the detailed information for each member of the coven, pictures, personality traits, gifts, limitations and slip-up. It would appear that the clan has to relocate every 5 years or so due to a member "accidentally" draining a human. The only members of the Partridge Family that hasn't slipped is the Doctor and the Blonde who looks like she walked off the set of Mean Girls. I also notice there is only one single Edward Cullen.

I am about to respond when I hear some beast of a machine coming down the road. I slowly make my way to the front of the house when Bella parks her rust colored death trap in the driveway. She stumbles out of the truck with her head down. I clear my throat and Bella's head snaps up. What I see freezes me to the spot. Bella's eyes are bloodshot, tears are pouring down her face, she's white as a sheet and her whole body is shaking.

I hear her stutter whispered "Emery" . Bella is one step from collapsing when I rush to her. I hold her in my arms as the first waves of sobs are released. I don't smell any blood on her; I cradle her to me and rock her back and forth. As she keeps repeating a phrase into my shoulder, I didn't hear it clearly at first but it starts to sounds like "How could he?". By this time Charlie has heard the commotion and stuck his head out the front door.

Charlie is the first to break the stalemate in the driveway by asking Bella what was going on. It takes a minute for the question to register. When Bella has finally calmed down enough to answer her voice is horse and she whispers "the wedding is off" before Charlie could question her further she lights a fuse and states "He cheated on me. I gave him everything and forgave him for everything. And he has been cheating on me this whole time. Saying it was for my own good". It's taking everything in me not to run and find this Veggie and rip his dick off. Charlie isn't faring any better. He keeps on muttering about "the good for nothing prick" .

My priority right now is Bella. I know there is a lot more to the story. But getting the whole picture would require the sharing of some family secrets. I lead Bella to the house and walk her to the bathroom. I start the shower and tell her to get cleaned up and then we'll talk more. I don't think she really noticed that I was talking.

I shut the door and head down stairs to talk to Charlie. He's standing by the kitchen sink fuming. "That boy has destroyed her again, I don't know if she is going to be able to pull thru something like this. At least last time he just left" . At this point Charlie starts giving me the history of the relationship.

Charlie gave me the cliff notes version. Bella running away to Arizona, getting hurt, the obsessive behavior, Bella getting hurt again on her birthday, getting left in the woods, the Cullen's leaving, the depression, the second time running away to Italy, the Cullen's return, the possessiveness, the unexpected engagement...etc. Ironically this is properly the longest conversation I have ever had with Charlie.

The details that Charlie provided were disturbing to say the least. Unhealthy even without the supernatural element. I come to a decision. I am going to give Bella the option of escaping and getting a fresh start. I look at Charlie, he will be the first step. " _Charlie I want to take Bella away from here. Bring her with me. Getting away from Edward and his family will do her some good"._ I see Charlie taking in and absorbing my offer. "The only problem is getting her to agree. When Renée wanted to take her to Florida she refused" .

" _Well I doubt that will be a problem now" ._

 **So what do you think should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

The Huntress – Chapter 2

 **The Chapter might be rushed but I was trying to get to the drama.**

 **Emery - POV**

Once Charlie agreed to the idea of getting Isabella out of Forks, he left all decisions up to me. Which shouldn't have been a surprise but I still find it amazing that the Chief of Police doesn't want to be as involved with any of his children's lives.

I make a call to my contact asking for additional details about Bella's recent trip to Italy. Charlie was informed by Jacob Black that Bella ran off with Alice Cullen to Italy. There really isn't a reason for vampires to visit Italy unless they make a stop at the Volturi. And if they brought Bella with them, than there is a pretty good chance that the Kings will be invested in her future.

By this time the shower up stairs is off and I hear the door open followed by a bedroom door closing. It's a good thing I didn't unpack the Bronco. The quicker I can get some miles between the dick freeze and Bella the better. Charlie has disappeared into the shed outside playing with his rods.

It can never be simple. I suck at comforting. With that last thought I head up to Bella's bedroom. After knocking on the door and not hearing any movement, I go ahead and make my entrance. Bella is curled up on top of her comforter with her hand over mouth muffling her cries and the other hand holding a picture. I can only assume it's the veggie. She doesn't even look up, her eyes are set on the picture and nothing else.

" _Bella"_ no response, so I raise my voice " _Bella_ " still nothing, " _ISABELLA MARIA FUCKING SWAN_ ". That got something, Bella dropped her picture and sat up. She looks up at me with wet cheeks from tears, I see a flicker of surprise in her brown eyes but it's gone just as quick replaced with a glazed over lifeless void. I need to shock her into action, get her from the pitiful state of heartbreak and headed to the anger, the outrage those are the stages that I can deal with.

" _Get dressed, we are going for a drive and you are going to tell me everything. And I mean everything that has to do with your vegetarian fiancé_ ". I feel bad for practically forcing this confrontation on her but with what transpired almost a year ago, if I let Bella go at her own pace she would end up staring out the window and waiting for things to come too her and fix everything.

She starts stuttering out " _What are you talking about_?" she's doing a pretty good imitation of a deer walking on thin ice. At least that got her interacting. " _I am talking about your fiancé you know the one without a pulse. The one you were going to marry, who happens to be a mind fucking cheating vampire. You know the one you sent me an invitation about attending your engagement party. I would assume we are about to talk about Edward Shit-Stain Cullen."_ Bella's mouth dropped open, I can see that she is trying to form a sentence but I really don't want to have this conversation where we can get interrupted by any number of the Cullen coven. " _What you thought vampires and Quileute were the only ones that went bump into the night. Get up and get dress. We are going for a drive. I will answer your questions and you will answer mine. At the end of our little sharing circle you will have to make an important decision that will impact the rest of your life. Now let's go. I'll meet you down stairs_ ".

In less than five minutes Bella comes stumbling down stairs. She did always like a mystery, it's too bad that she never realized that one of her life's biggest puzzles was her own sister. Without talking I lead the way to my Black 1970 Ford Bronco parked at the curb. Once in the cab I hold my finger up indicating to her too wait. There is only one place that we can go for this discussion that the Cullen's won't follow, the res. FML

Bella seems to understand upon recognizing where we were headed. After twenty-five minutes of driving, I park at a cove that used to be my secret spot when I was here during the summers.

Bella walks behind me to the beach. " _Before you start telling me about what happened today. I want the full story. Tell me from the first meeting to you driving up to the house today. Don't leave anything out. Every detail you let pass I want to know. At the end of your story I will answer all of your questions and before you get into this I will just say: Yes I am different. I was never a human like you Bella. I was born into the world of the strange_ ".

I see her take a breath and then she begins. What she tells me is the most angst, masosadism relationship that went on far longer than I thought Bella would put up with. I can tell that he played her from the beginning, dazzling her, just giving her enough and pulling away, even claiming that she was his mate then abandoning her. She is at the preparations of the wedding when I stop her. It seems we have a visitor.

Low and behold Leah Clearwater has arrived. My whole body is tight as a bow string when I turn around to meet her face to face. She was my best friend during the summers until we hit 16. During that school year Leah started dating Sam Uley. By the time I arrived that summer they had already been dating for about four months. It was no longer the cool thing to be best friends with a white pale face. She told me I didn't belong and no one wanted me on the reservation or Forks. That my own father didn't even want me. It was true but that shit hurt.

" _Well, What the Fuck do you want, Leah?"_

 **So what do you think?**

 **Here's some questions to ponder: Whose the mystery contact? What is Emery? Whom do you think Edward cheated on Bella with? And yes it was infidelity.**

 ***hint to Emery's origins* what is the meaning behind a name?***


	3. Chapter 3

The Huntress – Chapter 3

 **Emery's POV**

To say Leah looked shocked to see me would be a lie. Leah was the only person that knew Emery's secret spot. I had missed Leah immensely over the years. Out of all of my mentors and family none of them have ever really been a friend to just Emery. They looked out for me with care, love, over-protectiveness at times and taught me with a passion of a tutor being gifted with a prodigal pupil. But none of them were ever a friend that you could talk too about your innermost thoughts and dreams like Leah was. More often than not you would find Emery and Leah running around, swinging from trees on some great adventure through the woods or building castles at the beach, sneaking out at night with Harry's cheap bottle of whiskey to complain about how much life sucked for the teenagers or just getting stuck watching over Seth, Bella and Jacob while their parents played poker at the fish fry. Leah just knew the girl in Emery that very few had even gotten a glimpse of. That is why the day when Leah casted Emery out from La Push 6 years ago hurt so much.

 _"I'll repeat the question, what are you doing here Leah? You don't have to worry. As soon as Bella and I finish our chat, these two pale faces will never return to this backwaters reservation."_ Bella is currently hanging back, quiet as a mouse, sitting on a corner of a rock and barely even breathing. Bella knew they had a falling out years ago when Emery stopped going to the reservation but she was too young to know the details.

Leah takes a half step back, the muscles in her jaw are strained, and her fists are clenched. I take in her scent and she is emitting signs of despair, guilt, sadness and shame. All and all it smells like mustard and vinegar. Put that on top of the wet dog, garbage smell of La Push and it makes things interesting for my olfactory receptors. Out of all the shifters that I met for some reason the Quileute wolves are the worst smelling, I have to wonder why? With the odor they naturally emit it can't be all that useful, you would have a hard time sneaking up on the enemy. Unless it's just a deterrent altogether. I highly doubt I could ask and get a truthful response and I don't really have time explaining to a tribe that can't keep its mouth shut what I am.

"I'm sorry"

" _Thanks for that but really why are you here. Shouldn't you be sitting on Sam's lap somewhere acting like he's the best thing to grace this earth? The time to apologize was 6 years ago when you chose to turn on me for Sam and his little cliché group of friends."_

When we used to hang out during the summers Leah never gave Sam and his group much thought but arriving back at the beach that last summer imagine my surprise to see Leah sitting on Sam's lap making out for all to see. She didn't even have the decency to stand up when she was metaphorically stabbing me in the heart.

Leah grinds her teeth at the mention of Sam. That's when I take a good look at her, she has sprouted up to about my height of 5'11'', dark circles underneath her eyes, cheeks sunk in, her ebony hair is lacking its usual shine, and overall she looks like shit.

"Charlie told my mom that you were headed back to town this week for Bella's engagement" she is looking down when she admits "I have been hanging around here hoping you'd show up". She is looking me in the eyes now, I can see the wolf looking back at me with those golden brown eyes. "I wanted to see you. To talk to you. I have nothing left to lose. I know after you leave here, you'll probably never comeback once Bella is gone."

" _To what purpose Le. What is there left to say, except go fourth and be happy with what you got_." Leah's whole body is starting to slightly quivering, ever muscle is fighting the shake "I just need to explain, please"

" _There is nothing left to explain. You made your opinion of me that day clear. And even if it wasn't your own. You still stood by it. And for what Sam dickhead Uley? I knew he never liked me but shit Le, you were my best friend!"_

"PLEASE, WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP! I DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE" the quivering is a full body shake now, I haven't taken my eyes off Leah as I angle my body so its directly in the path back to Bella. I start mustering up the power within just in case Leah does in fact shift. She has taken my silence as the go ahead to continue.

"I didn't have a choice. Dad kept pushing me throughout the school year to date Sam. He said that one day Sam would be important and would bring the tribe to higher places. I got out of it at first but he just kept pushing and Sam made it known to everyone that I was going to be his girl. So I finally agreed thinking they would let up once the date was over. But I was wrong.

One date led to two then three and soon we were dating. And then it was a new pressure to keep Sam. My dad would tell me how to act, stuff that guys liked to hear, he encouraged me to do everything and anything to make Sam happy no matter the personal cost. Mom would tell him to lay off at first but Dad wouldn't listen eventually she just gave up. He said it was for the good of our family, this would put us in better standings and help with the future of our tribe.

So that's what I did after a while. I went along with whatever Sam wanted. My dad was over the moon.

When I got your email saying you were going to be in town the next day, I was looking forward to it because I figured I could get some alone time with you and have someone to talk too. Sam was at our house picking me up for some date when I headed to the living room smiling. He asked me what I was so happy about and I told him you were coming. Sam went off; saying along the lines that you didn't belong, that I shouldn't be friends with someone like you and that I should focus on our date. I was too stunned to say anything at first. I knew Sam and you didn't get along but still. After a moment passed I told Sam to mind his business and I wasn't feeling up to going out.

Dad followed me up to my room that night. He was so anger. I had never seen him that mad before. He slapped me and told me to fix the riff with Sam that he didn't care how as long as it was done. Then he told me to get rid of you, that it looks bad for me to choose you over my boyfriend. And that I needed to grow up.

What was I supposed to do? I was fifteen and my own father was treating me like some two-bit whore that he could just trade for favors. He was my father! So I did what he commanded. And I lost you the next day. I had to push you away."

…..

Shit I never realized what a dirt bag Harry was. Using his own daughter to move up. That's not something you expect coming from a man that used to take us all camping, fishing, bike riding and story times. If Sue didn't put a stop to it, Leah wouldn't have had anyone in her corner.

"I gave Sam everything after that. I couldn't talk to anyone about it because all I heard was how lucky I was to be dating someone as popular and handsome as Sam. So after a while I made myself fall in love with him. I accepted that this was my life now. I had already given too much of myself that I just disappeared.

But that wasn't enough. He left me for Emily of all people. She was the only friend that I had left and he took that from me too. Dad said it was my fault that I didn't try hard enough that I wasn't good enough to keep Sam. And now I am still at his beck and call. Doing whatever he tells me to. I can't even feel what I want to feel. I have to sit there and take it!"

" _Bella I need you to stay where you are and don't make a sound_ " I can feel Leah's wolf coming out. There is no way that she could hold it back any longer. She is too emotional and the wolf is reacting, this is when people can get hurt and Bella is all too human.

I hate to do this against her will but I don't really have another option and a change triggered by strong emotions can cause the shifter to lash out. I muster enough power to put behind my command and I roar out " _ENOUGH! STOP NOW!"_

Instantaneously Leah's body has snapped back like a rubber band and she fell to her knees. The shaking has stopped.

Leah is breathing in deep, her head is bowed and she whispers out "I can't feel them" after a few moments.

…..

"They're gone"

Motherfucker! I think I know what is happening and this will throw a wrench into my plans. I put too much strength behind the command.

"I am free. I don't feel them" as I look on I see a smile starts to form on Leah's face. It's the first one I have seen from her in 6 years.

" _Yeah about that…"_

 **So what do you think?**


	4. Chapter 4

The Huntress – Chapter 4

 **Emery's POV**

I give Leah a few minutes to gather herself. Shit I even need a few minutes to think. Bella has now started walking towards us with wide eye. She told me all about her encounters with the wolves. Sam's pack. They must not be patrolling as much these days because I don't hear anyone running towards us. My roar should have at least caught someone's interest enough to investigate.

Bella is now standing next to me, "What did you do to her?"

" _It's complicated_ " I take a deep breath before continuing " _but the just of it is I broke her from her current Alpha bond_ ".

Before Bella can continue, Leah snaps her head up and is rising to her feet. She has a blank look on her face now. I don't really know if that is a good thing or not.

"How did you do it? Do you know how long I have been trying to pull away? What are you? What have you done to me?"

" _Okay everyone just calm down. It's not as bad as you think. Let's just walk back to the beach and I will explain everything that I can_." The three of us slowly make are way to the beach and sit on the rocks forming a triangle. Leah is the last to sit down.

" _Hold off on any further questions until I am done speaking. It's going to be a lot to take in for both of you for different reasons. What I have to say will stay between the three of us, agreed?"_ I look at the both for them to understand the severity of the situation we have now found ourselves in. They both nod. Bella has both her hands clenched between her thighs sitting with her back straight. Leah is sitting forward ready to launch at any sign of trouble or misstep.

" _To answer your first question. I broke Leah from her current Alpha bond_." Leah takes in a sharp breath and is looking out at the ocean. " _The bond must have been weak from the start if I was able to break it unintentionally. You see I am an Alpha. I was born an Alpha. I have always been taught and had the mind set of an Alpha. I can give commands to people of other packs or prides and depending on the strength of that individuals current Alpha link they would obey or in some cases not and I just look like an asshole. Now it usually takes a lot of power to break a bond from Alpha to a pride or pack member. And if that bond is strong enough then nothing with break or even manipulate it. The pack bond depends on the strength, loyalty, trust, dependability and care for one another. If you are missing these factors the bond will become fragile between individuals and the Alpha. However if multiple members have weak bonds with the Alpha, then the overall pack bond will suffer_."

They are both look at me with wide eyes, scanning my form. " _Now Leah the reason you weren't able to break away yet is that the overall pack bond was too strong still. But like I said if multiple members were mistrusting, had felt they were betrayed or the pack interests were not being put first than eventually members could start breaking the Alpha bond if they were so inclined. But it's a double edged sword. Wolfs are social creatures that need a pack. You would probably be fine on your own for a number of years but eventually you will seek out a new pack. The difference now is you have a choice to form a new link to your chosen Alpha. Most members have a choice as to whether to join a pack or not. And this makes the link stronger because the person is choosing to be a part of that pack. But I am guessing that as soon as you guys shift the Alpha is on you and forcing his will before you even know what is happening. You never got time to know your wolf and her needs before he forced that bond onto you. This will make his pack weaker compared to others_.

 _Now before I tell you both what I am. I will say I was ordered not to tell anyone. I had to follow this command until I was 18._ "I look at Leah because I was closest to her _"I am a Were-Lioness. I was born Were. I have 3 Were forms. My main form is a Lioness about the size of an adult horse. You can either be born Were or receive the bite. I will stop aging in a few years at the height of my physical power and I am immortal. My mother was Alpha of the pride I was born into. I fell under her command until I came of age._

 _My mother is a Tigress, she could sense what I was going to become while I was still in the womb. But I had to leave my pride when I came of age because having 2 dominate Alphas in one pride can cause misalignments of bonds, it's no one's fault it just happens. I love my family so I chose to leave. I still have a strong relationship with my old pride and we help each other out but I am no longer a member._ "

Bella is about to burst at the seams, I think she's just glad the focus is no longer on her and today's events. I'll give her this little rest bit for now. "So that's how you knew about the vampires and wolves. But how can you be Were with Charlie as our father?"

Leah looks at me and sniffs "And why don't you smell different from humans?"

Right this bit can be awkward. " _Yes Charlie is my father and not at the same time. You see traditionally a Were will only procreate with their mate or mates. As were-feline we get to choose our mate or who we procreate with in this case. The position of our mate has to be earned and that will depend on the Were. Let's just say my mother is very old with incredibly high standards when it comes to mates. She hasn't found one yet. But she wanted a cub. After a certain age the need to have offspring gets so strong it will encompass the need to find and wait for your mate. From then you will look for the perfect specimen to procreate with. In this case, mother came across Charlie. She sensed something different about him, magic in the blood. It was enough that between that burst of magic and her genes, it overrode any human genetic traits he would have passed on. My mother's tiger would have ensured that her cub was the best. While in the womb her DNA would have gotten rid of any unworthy traits. Now she had the ability to manipulate my genome to this extend because she had the power and age to know how. Almost all Weres wouldn't have had this ability._

 _Typically when a Were mates with a human the child would be a shifter or a carrier. But if a Were mated with another supernatural creature or a human carriers then things can get dicey. It's really not my cup of tea. Let's just say it's really hard to be born all Were. The reason we don't have such high numbers is because we can wait millennia's for our mate in order to produce offspring_.

 _The reason I smell human is because I can control what pheromones my body is projecting out. Usually I dilute my natural essences when I enter unfamiliar territory, until I get a feel of what's around. You could do the same with some training. Having the ability to project your body's pheromones can come in handy, you could enrapture, dominate or just plain incapacitate an enemy if you are emitting the right combination of pheromones. But as I said it takes training._

 _Vampires are usually always emitting pheromones to lure in prey. When I was nearing Forks I could smell that vampires were present in the area. I wasn't aware that they were in Charlie's house however until I got there. I grew up with vampires present, you could say we have an alliance with certain covenants for the enforcement of supernatural laws. One of the main laws is for humans to never become aware of what we are. This is for the safety of them and us. So Bella you knowing about vampires and shifters has put not only yourself but those around you in danger. That fault solely rests upon the shoulders of the Cullen's leader Carlisle. He treated his coven like a family and with the main priority of fitting into the human world is his greatest error. He allowed his 'son' to endanger the humans around him. That tells me he has no control of what each member does and that is dangerous._ "

Bella starts sputtering "It's not his fault. I found out what Edward was. They're my family."

I don't even know the events that happened today and she is still defending them this will not due. " _Bella you shouldn't have been in a position to find out. They shouldn't have had members in a high-school posing as students. They are not human and do not belong in that world. Vampires should come and go. Prolonged interaction like that is just asking for trouble. I bet everyone in this town realizes that something is different about the Cullen's, they just can't put their finger on it."_

Leah picked up on something Bella over looked completely. She has a face of a women ready to beat the shit out of me "What do you mean an alliance with blood suckers? They are the enemy! We are born to kill them, I am stuck in this place because of them, and I can't even have children of my own."

Wow the elders have really fucked them up. " _Leah yes I work with vampires, I even have family that are vampires that I love very deeply and you were not born to solely kill vampires_." Before Leah can refute what I am saying I carry on. " _Leah you had the shifter gene. You have always had the shifter gene. The shifter trait must have been dormant. After prolonged exposure to a natural threat the shifter in you awakened. It just so happens that the threat was a vampire but it could have been any number of creatures. I don't know why the shifter gene is dormant for so long with your people. But the bottom line is your tribe carries so many people with this gene is because of inbreeding. And you can't lie about that, practically everyone is related here. Some shifters can phase while they are children and it's the same with Were's._

 _You can have children it just so happens that you haven't found your mate or you have and are not in sync with them yet. Your pack or ex-pack has gotten luckily. Vampires like to govern they're own. Your pack is killing all vampires that come into the territory. If they kill the wrong vampire then enforcers can come and slaughter the entire pack._

 _And Leah you are no longer stuck. There is no pack holding you here. You are free to choose. You can stay or go off and find a new pack or pride. That's what I am doing. Well I can't really join a group without fighting the alpha and taking over and I really don't want to start a mess like that. But I can start a new pride. Think about it Leah you are now in control of your own life again."_

That shut her up. We have a few more hours of daylight left and I really want to finish this up before someone comes looking for Leah. It's only a matter of time before someone phases and realizes Leah is no longer a part of the pack. And if Sam shows up, I might just have to kill him on principle.

" _Bella its time. What happened today?"_


	5. Chapter 5

The Huntress – Chapter 5

 **Emery POV**

Bella's shoulders slumped, she pulled her jacket tighter around herself. Instead of looking up at our faces she closed her eyes. Leah shot me a look and I subtly shook my head.

"I was supposed to be changed into a vampire after graduation as I told you Edward would only change me if I married him. The wedding was set for the end of this summer. He wasn't all that interested in wedding plans and that seemed to suit Alice just fine. To be honest I just wanted to get it over with and start my new life with him, without always having to worry about him pulling away to protect me."

Leah rolls her eyes and huffs. I don't think the Quileute would be too happy with Bella's decision to join the undead.

"This week was going to be the final fitting for my dress. Alice has been taking me to all of the boutiques. I just thought it was Alice with her love of shopping. I didn't realize that she was keeping me away from the manor for a reason."

I leaned over and took Bella's hand. She moved a little closer to me. Seeking warmth or comfort I'm unsure.

"You see the Cullen's cousins had come down from Alaska two days ago. Ahead of the rest of the wedding guest. They seemed nice, welcoming me to the family and excited."

Bella's voice has dropped and tears are starting to form. "Since they arrived I haven't seen much of Edward. Esme told me that he was showing the cousins around Forks and the good hunting spots. The rest of the Cullen's told me he was close with them, like it was some joke that I wasn't getting. What I didn't realize was how close he was to one in particular."

"Today Alice picked me up to take me into Seattle and get my dress. What surprised me was Rosalie was driving the car. We have never really got along. Once I was in the car instead of heading out of Forks she started heading to the Cullen Manor."

Leah is now leaning forward I am sure she can already guess where this is heading. "Alice started to demand that Rose turn around. But Rose just said 'Bella had a right to know what kind of man that she was pledging her life to.' Alice was getting more and more upset. I didn't understand what was going on. Rose turned and looked at me with the softest expression that I had ever seen directed at me from her, it was kind of scary."

"It was pity. A look of pity for the young naïve girl that I am. I've been a gullible idiot from the start."

I put my arm around Bella and pull her closer to my body " _Hey now. I understand this is hard but your 18 about to be 19. You put your trust into the wrong people. It happens. We all make mistakes."_ I use the silence to try and calm Bella.

"After Rose and Alice argued for a majority of the way. Alice got a vision. She must have seen that Rose wasn't backing down, Alice didn't talked after that. Rose turned to me and asked me if I wanted to know the truth. I told her I did."

"Rose went on to explain that Edward had been lying to me from the start. And the family allowed it because it made Edward happy. That I wasn't his mate. He was just addicted to my smell because of my blood."

I take a look down at Bella under my arm and her knuckles are now white from fisting her jacket "I called Rose a liar, I told her that he wouldn't do that to me and that he loves me."

"She then turned to me with dark gold eyes and what she said shattered me. Rose asked me if he loved me so much, why was he back in his room fucking someone else."

"But she wasn't finished. I then learned that every time he left to go north for the past two years even while we were together that he had been actually having sex with one of his cousins. The Denali's."

Bella is shaking her head and chuckling under her breath. "I couldn't believe it. I said something along the lines that you guys would have told me, right? I looked back at Alice and she wouldn't make eye contact with me. At this point I started to panic when Alice whispered out I'm sorry."

"Once we finally pulled up to the manor. I got out of the car as soon as it stopped. I ran into the house and made my way to Edwards's room. I don't even know if anyone else was there. When I got closer I could hear music playing. I didn't even pause I just opened the door." She lets out a choked sob and wipes her nose with her sleeve.

Leah is staring at the ground. "They both were getting dressed. Edward seemed shocked to see me. I could see that the bed was unmade. The bed that he got so I could sleep over. I stood there shaking. I couldn't look at his face. I asked him why, just why? He had the audacity to play dumb. I turned to look at her and asked her if they have or had not been fucking for the entirety of our relationship. Edward was outraged that I could think such a thing about him but I never took my eyes off her. She just simply told me yes."

"I don't really know what happened after that Edward tried talking to me but it felt like I was walking on Mars. I just had to get out of there. He grabbed my arm before I reached the front door and told me, he did it for me. To protect me. I ripped my arm from his grasp and walked out. My truck was parked there from the week prior. You see he didn't like me to drive it. I got into the truck and left."

…

The only thing we hear is the waves crashing to the shore. Bella is all out of tears and looking ahead. "I just can't believe that he, no they would do this to me. I was about to give my life to him. Hell I still might. The Volturi is still expecting me to be changed or die. And I know that I can't stand to be around Edward after this let alone join the family."

Leah shifts on the rocks and asks "What do you me changed or die?"

I decide to give Bella a break. I then explain the Vampires Law to Leah so she understands what kind of situation Bella has found herself in because of the Cullen's.

 _"Bella look at me."_ I wait for Bella to focus on me again before I continue. " _Do you want to be a vampire? Because to satisfy the Vampire Law you just have to be a part of the supernatural world. That doesn't mean strictly a vampire."_

She doesn't seem to understand so I push fourth " _As I told you, to become a Were you have to be born or bitten. Now if you still want to be a vampire, I know a few that can change you but you have options_."

Leah is looking at me like I am crazy, while Bella seems to consider my offer. "What does it mean to be like you? What would happen to me?"

" _Well I would bite you. During the change you will experience a high fever and your whole body will hurt. This is because your bones will lengthen and the density will change, also you will be changed on a cellular level. You will have a higher regenerative process, heighten senses, super strength and most importantly you would have the ability to change into a were-cat. The specific form you take will depend on you. The were-cat would be a part of you, there is no distinction from one to another. It's not so much as having two beings in one body like shifters. You would be one and the same with your most animalistic side_."

" _I would teach you everything that you need to survive with your Were and when the time comes you can decide whether you wish to go off on your own or join my pride."_

I look over and Leah, she is staying silent and taking in everything. She knows that this is not her decision to make it has to be Bella.

"What do you feed on?" I laugh at that and look over to Bella.

 _"Bella you have seen me eat. We can sustain ourselves on human food. Although we like to hunt animals at least every few weeks, shit every night if we could. The hunt, the chase and raw meat does our inner cat some good."_

 _But I won't lie to you. There are feral were-creatures out in the world that prey on anything in their path."_

"So I would be like you and you are willing to bite me. Why?"

" _Bella at the end of the day you are my sister. I'm not perfect. I haven't been there when you needed me, hopefully now you can understand a little as to why I wasn't there or in touch with you often. We are family this is our chance to see what that means. And I am not going to stand by and watch you get mistreated or die because of some selfish family. Take your time and think about it."_

She's nodding her head. " _With that said we need to leave tonight. You can still take what time you need but we can't stay here."_

" _Bella I want you to come with me. This is a chance at a fresh start for you. And before you say anything I have already talked to Charlie about getting you away and he has agreed."_

She wipes her hands and looks up at the sky before she answers.

"Okay. There is nothing left for me here. I mean Charlie is here but he doesn't really need me and I was preparing to say goodbye anyways. It's just now I have a different reason."

"Just promise me that I don't have to see the Cullen's I don't think I could take it."

I give her a cat like grin and say " _O don't worry about the Cullen's, when I am thru with them tonight. You'll no longer be a concern for them_."

Leah finally decides to pipe up "So that's it. You guys are going on your merry way just like that?"

" _What else is there Leah? Bella can't stay here without the vampires continuously trying to control her life. And it will be a death sentence for her. At least this way she has the chance to still live."_

I can tell that she is getting worked up again but I just wait for her to let me know why. "You're just going to leave for the rest of us to pick up the pieces." She turns and looks at Bella and says "After everything Jake did for you and you're just leaving?"

" _What does Jake having anything to do with it? And there is no pieces to pick up. I will deal with the Cullen's tonight. Hell they will probably leave Forks in the coming weeks anyways so less for your pack to worry about. What is your problem Leah? You're free now. You can do whatever you want remember?"_

She stands up puts her back to us before saying "I don't have anywhere else to go. This is all I know. What could I possible do? My future was dictated to be with Sam, then the pack and now I have less than I had yesterday."

I look over at Bella and tilt my head in Leah's direction hoping that she silently knows what I am asking. Bella looks pensively at Leah before nodding. They both have a lot in common.

When Bella gives me the affirmative, I stand up and walk to stand behind Leah. I slowly place my hand on her shoulder.

" _You don't have to stay here. I don't know how you feel about it but you know what the situation is with me and Bella. We were best friends before your dad had to be an asshole. I wish you would have told me what was going on but I understand it now."_

She is now half turned in my direction " _We are most likely going to hit some trouble along the way knowing Bella's history."_ I look back at Bella and she gives us a half smile. _"You are welcome to come with us if you like. We won't be the best company but you can come and figure out what you want in life Le_."

 _"So what do you say we start that epic adventure we always talked about?"_

Le gives me a wet laugh, looking to me and Bella. "I can't just leave my mom and Seth."

" _Leah you aren't falling off the face of the earth. You can still call them. However I bet Sam is going to force you back in the pack once he learns you broke out of the bonds. This is for you Le no one else, what do you want to do?"_

"I want to come. I don't want to be treated like a pack bitch anymore. I want my brother to be alright though."

I understand where she's coming from but there is not a lot I can do once we leave. " _Let's go talk to your mom. Bella said that she was on the council since your dad's death._ "

We quickly come to an agreement to meet at the Clearwater's to talk to Sue.

I pull up to the house and hear Sue and Seth sitting down for dinner. I give Leah the go ahead to tell her mother how I broke the Alpha bond.

Bella and I walk in behind Leah. All three of us make our way to the kitchen area. I can see Sue about to sit when she looks up and sees us.

"Leah who have you brought with you. Bella..." Sue looks at me and pause. This women practical raised me during the summers. "Emery, Emery Swan is that you?"

" _Hey, Mrs. C. Long time huh?"_ I make my way over to hug Sue. Other than the grey streaks in her hair, she looks exactly the same. I look over at the teenager and say " _Hey Sethy. Handsome as ever I see._ " Seth puts his face down to hide his blushing cheeks. Sue and Leah are chuckling in the background.

"Please come in. We were just about to have dinner and there's plenty of food."

All five of us sit around the table and reminisce during dinner. Bella and Seth even jumped in and share stories of all the horrible things we made them do over the years. Like roll around in the mud to hide their scent in order to go bug hunting.

Dinner is now done and the dishes are cleaned. Leah bites the bullet and asked her mother and Seth into the living room to talk. Sue gives her a questionable look but Leah just guides her out of the room. I tell Leah that we will wait in the dining room.

Bella is lost in thought. After making my way to the back porch, I called my mother and informed her of what was going on. To say she was furious would be an understatement. I make a second call to put my plans in motion for tonight.

Bella came out and told me Sue wanted to talk to me. I wrap up my call and walk towards the living room. I see Seth and Sue sitting on both sides of Leah. All three of them look saddened. I sit across from them in an arm chair. Bella has opted to stay in the kitchen.

They both had additional questions about pack dynamics along with the history of Were-Creatures and shifters. It became obvious that everything they were told was off the mark by leaps and bounds.

Sue seems to have come to a conclusion.

"If she goes with you, will you look out for her?"

Seth has his head down and Sue turns to look at Leah with tears in her eyes "Baby girl, I have failed you in so many things over the years. Your father, Sam, and what the pack has put you thru. Let me give you this. Leah honey you have my blessing to leave. Don't worry about the council or me. They can't do anything to us."

I look at Sue and I know it had to be hard to let go of your own child. " _For what it's worth. I will look out for Le with the best of my ability_."

"Ma I can't just leave you and Seth!"

With far too many years in his young face, Seth grabs Leah's hand to get her attention. "Leah you have to go. It's never going to get better for you here." He swallows before continuing "Don't worry about me. The council wouldn't allow anything to be permanently done to me. I am the male heir to our family's blood line. That's all they care about, the future wolves of the pack. Sam gets some sort of sick pleasure out of ordering you around." Sue takes a sharp intake of air at this. "We have all felt it because of the link. And I fear what he would be capable of in the future. He still sees you as his. You need to go Leah. Please I don't want to be ordered to stand their while he does something to you anymore"

My eyebrow raises at this. I have a question on the tip of my tongue but now is not the time. I stand up and give the three sometime to say goodbyes. Once in the kitchen I inform Bella that it looks like we have a new travel mate.

Sue and Leah head up to her room to pack. I ask Seth to make sure none of the other wolfs interfere in our leaving.

A short time later Leah is standing in front of her mother and brother with her backpack and duffle beside her. I make a grab for the duffle and pull Sue in for a hug. I slip a piece of paper into her hand and tell her if they ever need anything to call at this number. Make sure that none of the pack members know, not even Seth. I didn't want it to get back to Sam or any of the other council. I then bring the bags to the Bronco and wait for Leah. Bells is already in the back.

I turn around to talk to Bella " _Do you have your phone on you?"_

"Yeah, why?"

I smile and tell her I want her to send a group text message to every Cullen.

She gives me a look "Okay. What should I say?"

" _I want you to message them saying that you want a family meeting with both covens in one hour at the manor. Everyone present. You have an announcement to make. Tell them that if you see them or hear from them before the meeting time then you will have Charlie file a restraining order_."

…

" _By the way you never clarified. Who was the other women?"_

 **So what do you think?**


	6. Chapter 6

The Huntress – Chapter 6

 **Starting out with Emery's POV & then jumping around with some other characters POV. I wanted a little revenge for Bella but she had warning signs throughout the entirety of her relationship that she chose to ignore. Being young and in love can only be used to a certain point as an excuse.**

 **Sorry about any typo's you may come across.**

After making our way back to Charlie's house. I see that the cruiser is still there. We walk to the front door and I pull Leah off to the side. " _I need you to stay with Bella. Don't leave the room that she is in, until I return_."

Leah looks inside and then back to me. Bella has already made her way to Charlie. "What, where are you going?"

The Lions eyes flare up when I say " _I am going to pay a visit to the Cullen's to explain the new parameters of their existence. I believe that once I am finished they will start seeing things my way. Plus it seems Carlisle had been warned and failed to heed that warning. Now there is a coven that wishes to inform the Cullen's of their place as well_."

"Are you insane, walking into the house full of vampires and making demands?" She grips onto my coat sleeve and pulls me closer, to whisper "There is at least seven of them, plus however many are in that other coven that came. And the pansy ass isn't going to be too happy when he learns that it isn't Bella showing up"

" _Trust me. No one in that house will touch me. I have a plan. The Cullen's can't be that stupid. If they do not comply then it will be war."_

She shakes her head and huffs out "Fine but I don't like this." Leah knows me to well. When I set my mind on something then nothing can stop me.

I head to Bella and tell her to stay close to Leah. After informing her of where I was going she jumped onto the Leah band wagon.

" _Bella this needs to be taken care of or Edward is just going to keep coming after you until he drains you dry."_ She makes a noise in the back of her throat to argue " _Bella you are not his mate! He wouldn't be able to cheat on you if you were or abandon you like he did. The bond wouldn't have allowed it even if you are still human. You are his singer. Your blood is his own personal meth."_

It seems that she is finally seeing the reality of her romance with a new perspective. " _Now I need the keys to the truck. Remember to stay with Leah. That way the shopaholic can't see what is going on. Pack up everything that you need. I will be back once this is finished and then we are leaving_."

I turn around and nod to Charlie, telling him I'll be back shortly. I open the back hatch of the Bronco and take my jacket, shirt and boots off. Just in case I do have to shift forms to defend myself I don't want anything hindering me. I roll up my pant legs. Now I am standing in a sports bra, grey khaki pants and barefoot.

Pulling out my phone I make a call to our special guests for this evening and put on my Bluetooth ear piece. " _I am heading to the Cullen Manor now. Is everything ready on your end?"_ I hear a wind chime like voice say yes. I have to laugh. Some people are just excited about the little things. " _Stay on the line we will walk in together_."

As I pull up into the driveway of the Cullen Manor I receive my two guests that have jumped into the back of the truck bed. I park and take out my ear piece after ending the connection. I turn around and smile at Jane and Demetri. It's been over a year since I've seen either of them. Jane gives me a smirk and turns to the Cullen Manor. Her face is lighting up like a kid with cake. She has made it known that she has a special place of loathing for the Cullen's. Demetri sends me a flirty wink. They both were in LA tracking a sloppy vampire when I called early in the day.

We make our way to the front door, I'm leading the charge. With the most obnoxious open handed slap, I bang on the front door to announce our arrival. Jane and Demetri barely hold in the laughs. Jane may have even let out a giggle.

The door is opened by whom I would say is Esme based off the pictures I received earlier today, the matriarch of the coven and Carlisle's mate. "Hello, may I help you?" She freezes when Jane and Demetri come into view.

" _Why, yes you can. Lead us to the main room and have your family present. We are going to go over some new rules specifically for your clan."_ If vampires could pale and faint she would be a prime example. She eventually nods her head and turns. On the way to what I assume the living room, I bring the Lioness out a tad, I project dominance outward and feel the power surging thru my body. I stand taller, muscles tighter, senses more in tuned with my surroundings and teeth sharper.

All of the Cullen's are spread out on two couches with Edward standing in the middle of the room. I zero in on my target as he starts to speak. "Where is my Bella? What have you done with my mate?"

" _Jane if you would be so kind."_ Edward collapses to his knees withering in pain Carlisle and Esme fall to his sides and are begging her to stop. Demetri spreads out to stop anyone from interfering with Jane. Who has a wide grin on her face? She really does look possessed like that.

I turn to the remaining Cullen's and ask " _Who amongst you veggies is tech savvy?"_ The Big guy Emmett looks up from Edward on the ground and raises his hand. _"Good now I want to hook up a skype conference call and dial this number_." He nods his head " _O and don't forget the webcam we don't want anyone to be left out."_

Looking down at Edward who is still howling like a banshee _"You might want to hurry, she's not going to stop until the connection is made_." I chuckle at the vampires and take in those around me. Alice is rubbing her temples and mumbling something I can't make out because of the screams. Her mate has his face screwed up, kind of like having a mouth full of sour patch kids. Damn Edward must be giving him hell right now. Rosalie is off to the side looking towards the television where her husband is setting up the webcam. I send her a half smirk. The Denali sisters are to the left side of the room standing with the glass wall behind them. I make a sweep of all the vampires that have the courage to make eye contact.

When I scan over the Denali's the middle one gasps and takes a step forward before her sisters grab her.

 **Tanya's POV**

It was a mistake to come here I see that now as my coven and the Cullen's wait for the human Bella to arrive. I pick up the sound of the truck that left earlier in the day and one heartbeat. It isn't long before we hear the truck pull up. To my surprise 3 sets of light footsteps walk to the house and still only one heartbeat. Edward has now risen from his place on the couch and Esme heads to the door when a god awful bang resonates thru the house. I pick up the scent of something wild and lethal. If I wasn't so old I would have fallen back into the glass behind me.

In walks the most beautiful creature. She is about 6 foot, with reddish brown hair with gold, and silver streaks. The hair is pulled back with numerous braids into a ponytail, tight on the sides and a fohawk on top. Her eyes are a dark navy blue with gold bursting from the pupil and a dark ring around the iris. Every muscle is on display. She has the physique of a gymnast or professional swimmer, all of her muscles are nicely toned.

I didn't even pick up on the Volturi until Jane turned her gift onto Edward. What the fuck is wrong with me? I hear a clear husky voice tell Emmett to setup a conference call. My sisters are besides me, I can tell that they are worried and I need to get my head in the game but I can't take my eyes off this women and I don't know why.

She scans over the room to size up each covenant member. When she finally roams her eyes over to me and my sisters that is when it clicks. Our eyes meet for but a moment, that's all it took for my beast. It is now roaring with success. MINE! I let my eyes fall to her lips, skin, hips, feet, then back to her lips. MINE

Broken out of my haze when my sisters grab onto my arms pulling me back.

 **Bella's POV**

I am starting to pack my last bag when I look up at Leah and ask "What do you think she is going to do too them?"

Leah is laughing from the desk "Knowing your sister she is probably literally tearing apart your ex and the women. And making sure the rest have new breathing holes out of there ass."

"I just hope she doesn't kill anyone."

Lost in thought Leah finally responses "Do you remember when you were about 5. Emery had just taught you how to ride a bike with training wheels down on the rez. Later in the day an older boy made fun of you when we weren't around and knocked you off the bike" I nod my head "Yeah I remember, I was so upset, left the bike and went looking for Emery. She calmed me down then handed me a Popsicle and came back later with the bike."

Leah agrees but continues "Yeah, what you don't remember is once your sister calmed you down. She took off to find the boy. When she found him she walked up to him and broke his nose. Took his bike to the cliffs and threw it off. On her way back she picked up your bike. You were none the wiser."

Thinking about it "She is going to kill him isn't she?"

"Well she did all that to a boy that skinned your knee. What do you think she is going to do too the people that broke your heart and would have likely killed you?"

 **Thoughts?**

 **Don't worry about Rosalie she comes out on top in the long run.**


	7. Chapter 7

The Huntress – Chapter 7

 **Emery's POV**

 **Sorry for any typo's you may come across**

I look back on the room Carlisle is still pleading with Jane to spare his son. Esme is petting his hair and Edward himself is curdled in on himself. I have to grin at that. I get a sick sense of glee along with Jane. The rest of the Cullen's are now on the edge of their seats, it looks like they are internally debating whether to intervene. A foreign sense of calm is thrust my way, I turn to glare at the empath and push back rage, pain, and sorrow. See how he likes to be manipulated. His head turns to me sharply and I give him a wide smile showing my incisors.

" _Do that again and I'll make sure you get the full Jane experience for the rest of this visit."_ I feel the calm presence ease out of the room. Jasper and Carlisle are now looking at me questionably. I hear a purring coming from the left side of the room. Glancing over I see two of the sisters holding onto the middle one. They each have one arm restraining one of hers and another arm around her waist. She is leaning forward staring at me like I am the center of the universe with coal black eyes. This show just gets freakier.

I turn to the big guy " _Do you think this is going to be done sometime tonight? I really have other places to be_." Demetri lights a cigarette, leans against the wall like he has all the time in the world. I guess he does.

Emmett turns to the room and states "I'm done the call is going thru now." I signal him to go back to his wife on the couch.

" _Jane let up for a moment."_ Edward lets out an unnecessary breath. I walk over to stand in front of him. " _Now this is how it's going to proceed. Others are going to talk. No one here speaks unless spoken too. If anyone interrupts than Ed-fuck here gets the Jane treatment. Each burst will increase with intensity. If you have something to say raise your hand until called upon, which shouldn't be hard with all of those years you've spent in school."_ I turn my head from side to side and add while looking directly at Ed " _Also every time you refer to Bella as your mate, Jane will turn on the full effect of her gift. I don't like liars_."

"Now who doo…ahhh" and he's back on the ground. I think I just found Jane's favorite game. I look back down at Ed " _What did I just say about interrupting? Does everyone in this fucking coven actually listen or is it just you with the problem?"_ I glance at the rest of the room. Rosalie has a small smirk making its way onto her face, her husband looks confused along with Alice and Esme looks pained. " _Does everyone understand my instructions?"_

A clapping sound is coming from the television I turn to the side so I can see the room and the tv. I motion Jane to stop. I take a look at the screen and see Aro in the center with his maniac smile, flanking him is Marcus and Caius and the Queens are in the background. There is a small window in the corner of the television showing what is being displayed on the other end and it looks like a pretty good view of Ed-bitch on his knees.

Aro angles his head to view approximately where I am standing and says "Emery you always know how to put on a show my dear." He centers his focus "Ah the Cullen's how lovely to see you again. I would have hoped the next time that I saw you it would have been better circumstances. But the last time I saw your progeny Carlisle, he was causing trouble, even threatened to reveal himself and now it looks like trouble has starting again dear friend."

Carlisle steps forward "It was just a minor misunderstanding." Caius huffs before focusing on the camera "Minor Misunderstand? The sniveling little twat exposed us to a human. When he didn't get his way here, he then tried to show himself midday to an entire square of humans. What do you think would have happened to all of those humans in the square if he succeeded?"

The Cullen's gulp. The Denali's are as still as statues. I wonder if they knew the whole story. Too late now, they chose to jump into bed with the Cullen's, ha pun totally unintentional. Marcus leans forward "You were warned that the girl was not his mate. You even knew that prior to his trip to Italy. And you still decided to play with the poor girl. The entire coven knew and you still carried on. You were told to turn her."

Eddie puffs up "Bella is my mate, she is MINE" I snap my fingers and Jane chuckles and focuses on the banshee again. I shrug my shoulders " _I did tell him at the beginning."_

Aro clears his throat and Jane tappers off "You never had any intentions of changing the girl. The blood would have eventually been too much. And too many people knew of the girl's connection with your 'family?' to simply die." Jasper looks up a raises his hand, ha "Ah Mr. Whitlock, I believe you have something to add."

Jasper looks at the screen and asks "What do you mean?" Edward is still glaring daggers at Jane.

Aro actually snorts "Did you think we did not know about your little treaty with those shifters? The shifters that you failed to report, that know of the girls life with you and the other humans of the town. You made your relationship to public in a small town especially playing with the sheriff's daughter."

"Which reminds me you failed again to report a new born army sprouting up in your backyard. Yet you took the time to collaborate with shifters? Tsk, Carlisle I expected better"

The doctor almost looks remorseful. Aro claps his hands again and looks in my direction, they must have lots of practice with this conference web-seminar. "Now before we get into the Cullen's punishment for these transgressions I believe that Emery has some conditions."

The room turns to me. " _Bella Swan's future will no longer be a concern for this coven. You will not try contacting her, you will not try to see her and if you do not abide by these rules because they are in fact rules then you have forfeited your life_."

Edward flashes in front on me "You have no right to tell me when to see what is MINE." As he reaches to grab me a few things happen. The middle Denali tries throwing off her sisters and snarling. I extend my claws out and bring my right hand up slashing him from the left side of his torso to his right shoulder. I follow up while he's still in shock with bring my left hand forward and swiping it across his face. He now staggers back a few steps when I surge to him and grab onto where his shoulder joint is located and jump up. I plant both feet into his chest and use his body as a spring board. Flipping my body so I land onto my feet. I now have his entire left arm in my hand. Once Ed hit the floor Jane turned her gift on, I would imagine it's the full load.

 **Tanya POV**

My beast is purring at my mate's show of back bone. I don't like the thought of Jasper knowing the feelings of what is MINE. I start to lean forward when Kate and Irina wrap around me to halt my progress. I have waited over 1,500 years, how dare they stop me.

Kate jerks my arm and whispers "What's gotten into you, T?" I haven't taken my eyes off of HER and Irina follows my eyesight and looks back at me. "No, way." Kate is now looking at Irina she nods her head to me and says "I think Tan just found her true mate!"

By the time I tune in again. I caught the tail end of instructions for the room followed by Edwards's interruption and then screams. Such a child. My two sisters tighten their grip on me as we see Aro clapping from the screen. Emery her name is Emery, I can't wait to whisper it into her ear.

I finally concentrate on the Cullen's list of violations and I am surprised by many of them. It seems that are cousins were keeping secrets. I did know that the girl was not Edwards mate but I didn't know about the warnings or the visit. I never understood why they just didn't follow the law. We have kept out of the Volturi's spot light since Sasha and it would seem our alliance with the Cullen's has thrust us back in.

When my mate sets her rules for the Cullen's, I have to wonder why she cares so much. She is breath taking while doing it though. I see Edward speed towards Emery and I completely lose it. How dare he threaten my mate! I'll rip his fucking head off. I make a move to charge forward but both sisters hold me in place. I hiss at them.

Irina leans over and says "Now is not the time" she looks over at my mate "see she can take care of herself. Eddy isn't going to be pretty anymore." Kate Tasers me on low "Stay out of it for now T, the focus has been the Cullen's." She looks Emery up and down only stopping when I growl at her "What I'm just wondering what she is?"

The three of us stop with the rest of the room when a thunderous growl is heard over Edwards wails.

 **Emery's POV**

The Cullen's have now gotten to their feet. We all hear an earth shattering growl coming from the television. The room freezes. I glance over and see Athenodora standing hunch over in front of the camera with her teeth bare. And with a thick Norwegian accent she says "If any of you fur munchers touch her I will grind your bodies into shards and set you aflame." The vampires in the room are taken back by the ferocity of her words. This Queen can go into battle cool and calm while facing devastating odds and hardly ever show any emotion. She looks to my corner "Darling?"

" _Yes?"_ I try to move the arm behind my body "Do try to visit soon. It seems the only time I hear from you is when you are getting into trouble." I turn to her fully now and give her my most innocent kitten like smile, well as innocent as I can get while holding a severed arm " _Of course."_

I hear a low rumbling growl from the Denali's side but I don't pay it any attention. The middle ones behavior is starting to click in my brain.

Athenodora moves to stand next to Caius's chair instead of behind it. Aro looks too happy, all he needs is the popcorn and it will complete the effect. Jane has moved up to restrain Edward by holding his remaining arm behind his back and slowly pulls back the pain. He'll now have permanent scars on his face and chest. O darn.

Demetri is still holding up the wall, the smug bastard. Aro gets the rooms attention again. "Now if you are done, I will continue. Cullen's you have failed as a coven in the most basic areas. I put a majority of the responsibility on Carlisle. You as a leader allowed your members to do what they felt like and have endangered our existence multiple times. You couldn't even turn one human girl when you were told. Change or Kill that is are number one law."

Alice jumps up and signals that she wishes to speak. Aro inclines his head "But we love Bella, we would have changed her eventually. She is Edwards mate. She belongs to this family. I have seen it!"I snarl at her and spit venom out with every word " _She was your doll to play dress up and boss around!"_ I turn to Emmett " _She was someone you could play pranks on and make yourself feel superior to_ " I then turn to Carlisle and Esme " _She was a toy for your single son to play with_." And finally I crouch down to Eddy-boy " _She was your singer that you got addicted to. You played with the heart of a young girl to ensure you got another hit of that sweet scent"_

" _The only Cullen that showed any moral fiber or humanity that you all preach about is Rosalie."_ I nod in her direction and continue _"She did not pretend, she did not encourage Ed-fucks obsession, she didn't even want to bring her into the family from the start, she did not play with her when it only suited her and most importantly she cared enough to tell Bella the truth."_

I walk to the middle of the room _"And you say you love her, what you have done is not love. It is not what a best friend, sister, brother, parent or fiancé does too those they love."_

I stand over Edward again and look up at Alice " _And I will repeat this piece of shit"_ I point down at Eddy " _Is not her mate! A vampire mate cannot fuck someone else continuously throughout the relationship, a mate cannot do anything to harm the emotional wellbeing of their supposed mate, they cannot abandon one another and most importantly you cannot do any physical damage to your mate_!" The room gasps and I look back at Edward " _What you didn't think she'd tell me about all the bruises you left by holding her too tight or grabbing at her?"_

 _"But I must really applaud you for fucking up your relationship with Bella so thoroughly. Because if you would have killed her I would have hunted down every member of this covenant and slaughtered you all!"_

All of the Cullen's are sputtering. Aro is just nodding his head, I see him out of the corner of my eye look over at Athenodora and say "she would."

I walk to the left side of the room and stand in front of the Denali's and ask " _Which one of you is Tanya?"_ The middle one is about to speak when I hold up my hand " _Wait. I think I can figure it out_." I sniff the air in front of me. I focus on the middle one and say " _You couldn't have washed the cum off by now?"_ She reels back like I slapped her, the sisters at her sides stiffen up " _But I guess I should really thank you. If you actual kept your legs shut then Bella would still be with that piece of shit."_ I look over at Edward and then back to Tanya " _I just don't see it. Tell me was he any good. Did you enjoy smiling at Bella and acting friendly when you were upstairs fucking her fiancé?"_

The taller sister on the right hisses "Who are you to judge us and what do you care about some human?" I laugh at her " _Final someone has the balls to ask, allow me to introduce myself."_ I turn so the whole room sees this " _I am Emery Lenna Swan and Isabella is my little sister."_ I turn back to the Denali's the two sisters seem to be holding Tanya up " _That is why I care. You had a part in breaking my baby sister's heart! If someone did that to one of your sisters what would you do?"_ I don't wait for an answer I start walking to the middle of the room again when I say over my shoulder " _He's all yours now Tanya. I hope he was worth it!"_

I glance at Alice " _I bet you didn't see me coming? Did ya?"_

The room looks godsmacked. Aro takes command before anyone else has a chance to speak "Now the Denali's didn't actually do anything wrong but you might want to examine whom you partner up with in the future. However since the Cullen's pose a threat to our way of life you will be staying with us at the castle until we feel comfortable and trust you as a covenant."

Carlisle starts in "I don't think that will be necessary." Marcus shifts into focus "I think it's very necessary. You have failed at every turn Carlisle and consider yourself lucky that Emery has taken responsibility over Isabella or your covenant would be burnt to a pile of ash for breaking the law. You failed to turn the girl when you had the chance. I third party had to step in and ensure the law was upheld."

A chuckle comes from Aro "Old friend. Jane and Demetri will escort you here. You can have two days to close your affairs." He starts to turn his head when he glances back "O and Rosalie you are the only one whom seemed to be the voice of reason. I saw this in Edwards's memories, and Emery has requested that we weight this in your favor. This punishment does not fall unto you but you are more than welcome to accompany the rest of your 'family'." With one last look to Carlisle "It you fail to arrive in three days' time. Then all of the Cullen's will be hunted down and brought before us in pieces."

The feed is then cut. I point Eddy's arm his way and look at Jane " _He's a runner. I suggest you take his legs until you get back_ " I hand the arm to Demetri " _I wouldn't put that back just yet either_."

" _Now Cullen's it's been real but Fuck You All. Remember what I said about contacting Isabella. I will kill you. She doesn't want to see any of you."_

Edward starts to try and break out of Jane's hold "I just have to talk to her. She'll understand. I did it for her."

I look over at Jane and say " _When he gets to Italy make sure he knows the true definition of mates and how to treat a lady_." I ask Rosalie to walk me out. I don't spare a glance to the rest of the room. I can hear someone sob from the Denali side. I turn to Rose and say " _I don't know how you feel about me after this and I don't really care. But I am indebted to you for what you did for Bella. It couldn't have been easy going against your coven and sire's wishes. So thank you_."

She looks at me "I didn't do it just for her." Hesitantly she continues "I was once engaged to a man and didn't find out who he really was until it was too late. I couldn't watch someone else go thru something like that."

I take in Rosalie's facial features and I pass an olive branch " _Regardless I will find a way to repay you one day Rosalie Hale. And in my opinion you also deserve better than what you are being handed_ " I pause in my step and I bid Rose Good Evening.

 **So what do you think?**

 _ **People might think it was a little harsh for Tanya but I got to thinking: what would happen if you met your mate under less than favorable circumstances? Tanya is now feeling the consequences of her actions. Remember Emery's mating bond isn't something that is automatic. It has to be earned. So how will she go about wooing someone whom you already have a horrible first impression with?**_

 _ **I also thought the perfect punishment for the Cullen's would be to fall under the constant scrutiny of a coven that they feel is beneath them. Edward will for sure suffer with the Volturi.**_

 **Next up we'll see how everyone reacts to the nights events.**


	8. Chapter 8

The Huntress – Chapter 8

 **I apologize if you run into any typos or errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters except for Emery.**

 **Emery's POV**

After arriving back at Charlie's house I step into the front door. It looks like Charlie has already made his way to bed. I stroll up the stairs to Bella's room and open the door. Leah is sitting at the desk eating out of a bag of chips scrolling thru webpages on Bella's old laptop. Bella herself is sitting on her bed sealing an envelope.

" _Bella are you all packed and ready to go?"_ Bella stands up and nods her head "Yeah I already said goodbye to Charlie before he went to bed. I am leaving letters for everyone else. Like Jake I don't know where he is. I haven't been able to get a hold of him."

Leah looks over from the laptop. "That's because he hightailed it out of La Push as soon as he got your wedding invitation." She turns and looks at me "It looks like you came back in one piece." I shrug my shoulder and give her an impish smile displaying my dimples.

A groan comes from Bella as she grabs her backpack "This is the last of my stuff everything else is in your car. And I don't know why Jake has to throw a fit about it. I have told him since I moved here that I didn't like him in that way." Leah stands up squaring her shoulders and continues "You led him on." Bella shoots her a scowl "How did I lead him on? By saying what? 'Jake I don't feel that way', 'Jake can't we just be friends', 'Jake you're my best friend', or I know when I punched him in the face after he forced a kiss on me."

 _"Alright we can stand here discussing us all not having romantic feelings about Jacob Black or we can get the hell out of here and onto the road. You can even continue this chat in the car. I don't care but let's go."_ I don't wait for a reply I just start walking out of the door. I make it out of the house and to the Bronco when they both come scurrying after me.

I get in the driver's seat, Bella takes the back and Leah has taken the passenger seat. It's late into the evening but I am determined to put some decent miles between us and Forks before we stop. The ride is silent until we pass thru Forks heading to the highway.

 _"Which direction do you guys want to head? I haven't had a permanent residence since I was 18. I've been drifting around but I came from the east. We can always settle down in an area that we all like, where we have enough room to feel comfortable. Funds will not be an issue. I have an inheritance along with some investments that just accumulate to an ungodly amount. It's one of the benefits of having a parent that is ancient. She has had me set up financially for many lifetimes, before I was even conceived."_

Bella leans forward from the back seat, putting her head between me and Leah "somewhere that isn't cold or raining all of the time." Le adds "where the sun actually shines most days of the week."

" _South it is then. Le you are navigator for now. There should be a book of maps below your seat. I want to put at least a full days' worth of driving before we stop."_

I hear a throat clear from Bella before she asks "What happened tonight? What did you end up doing?" They both are now looking at me. I get us onto the highway heading south before I begin. I recount from the first phone call to stepping out of the Cullen's house. I didn't leave any detail out. They both look at me stunned by the end of my dialog.

Bella was the first to recover "How do you know the Volturi? They are human drinkers, they kill the innocent and Edward said they are after him and Alice. That they were power hungry and would just go after covenants for no reason. I was there when a bunch of tourist were led in like cattle." I hear a growl come from Leah at the mention of animal drinkers.

 _"Well to start remember when I said we had alliances with certain Vampire covens. The Volturi is the main one. We have an agreement they police the vampire world which they do and we look into other supernatural trouble. We come together with the common goal of keeping humans ignorant of our existence."_

I look into the rear view mirror trying to make eye contact with Bella _"Could you image vampires running around with no one stopping them? The Volturi put down the nastiest and toughest vampires all of the time. The Cullen's had trouble stopping one vampire that wanted vengeance for a dead mate. If you had to rely on pacifist like that the world that we know it would be a kill or be killed waste land."_

" _There are some vampires and supernatural groups that want nothing more than to see the enslavement of humans and take active steps to see this done. The Volturi is one of the main groups that put them down."_

Chucking I tighten my hands on the wheel " _I am not saying they are perfect. I don't agree with some of the things that they do, but I understand it. Also you do realize 98% of vampires feed on human blood right? Just because they are red eyes doesn't make them all bad. I have met red eyes that drink strictly out of human Red Cross blood bags. Others that drink out of known criminals, rapist, murderers, child molesters, abusive spouses, drug dealers, are you calling all of those people innocent? There is a select few of vampires that drink from volunteers that can pull back their venom and have the strength to not drain the human dry. It's actually a sex club. People get off on 'make believe' vampires drinking from them."_

" _A vampire's natural food source is humans. It makes them stronger and a well fed vampire that isn't on the glutton side only needs to feed every month to two month periods. I would trust a vampire that doesn't try to hide what he or she is over a vampire that dresses in sheep's clothing and then later wolves out. Ha wolves out"_

Leah gives me her not so amused look and Bella sits back to think. " _Even the veggies couldn't take being around humans all the time without slipping. But the difference is there slipups would be a night of bingeing, instead of one or two. Talk about hypocrites."_

"But Edward hasn't slipped since the 40s." That got me cracking up. That cum-bucket really pulled the wool over her eyes. I slip my phone out and pull up the attachments I got earlier in the day. I flip to Edward's info and hand the phone to Bella " _This is a debriefing I got today for Edward go ahead and read it. Edward is the number one offender behind Jasper in his coven. And I think the only reason Jasper slips so often is because he feels everyone else's bloodlust on top of his own."_

While Bella is going over the document Leah takes over questioning "so these vampires agreed to help you with all this because of an alliance." I glance over at Le " _Yes and No. The Cullen's have pissed them off. And overall they've been running there sucks for years about the Volturi. All because Carlisle spent 3 months with them a couple of centuries ago and the leaders asked Edward and Alice to join the guard a couple of decades ago. And the Volturi they don't see the benefit of the animal diet."_

I look ahead and mumble " _Plus Queen Athenodora is kind of my bonded mor or mother."_

"What?"

 **Kate POV**

What a mess? Fucking Cullen's. Tanya has gone catatonic since her true mate left. We had to carry her upstairs to one of the guest bedrooms. It is rare for a vampire to find the one true mate and when they do they typically never let go. There will never be another, that's it for you. Most settle for a bonded mating. But that type of mating can be fragile and end. Tanya hit the Holy Grail and found a true just to lose her. FUCK!

Irina and I have been hovering around Tanya since the bitch walked out the door. If this wasn't hurting Tanya I would laugh my ass off at all the chaos and assholes she put in their places tonight. I can respect where she was coming from though. If someone did that the Tan or Rina, they would be dead or at least never know peace. But this is T, I can't help but feel my heart break for her.

I never understood why T was sleeping with Edwitch in the first place. He's prudish and annoying with always invading people's thoughts. And not being able to 'control it' is bullshit.

He was a virgin for Christ Sake. I doubt he would have taken direction from someone with experience. Huh?

 **Tanya's POV**

What have I done? I can feel Irina and Kate circling around me and feel worry radiating off of them but I can't find it in myself to care. I have been searching and waiting for over 1,500 years for the one and tonight she came walking thru the door just for me to lose her in the same night because of Edward fucking Cullen.

God I am so stupid. Why did I even do it in the first place?

It all started a few decades after Edward was turned. Contrary to what others may think my sisters and I have been drinking from animals and humans for centuries before meeting Carlisle and learning of his ideals 'the animal diet'. We still occasionally drink from human blood bags. It makes us stronger. It also saves the local ecosystem in our area. We hunt animals less than the Cullen's, whom need to hunt every other day. As to our every few weeks. With one human blood bag we can stretch it out for a month.

Soon after meeting Edward I was my usual flirty self. And he was so set in the times, it became fun to make him outraged and flustered. Boredom is the killer of all minds. I found his rejection, insulting after a while and hurtful. This remained the same until about two years ago.

Edward fled Forks to avoid draining his singer. He made his way to our home in Alaska and turned his bloodlust into another form of lust. It was over before it really began but I just remember thinking 'I won'. He was weak just like the rest of us after all of those years of preaching about our promiscuous ways and put downs about not being proper ladies. Edward continued to sneak his way north. I fucked him, not for sex but just for something to do and I was lonely. I didn't even realize he was courting his singer, let along that she knew of vampires until after the Cullen's returned to Forks.

Why today though. I don't hold any malice towards the girl. But it was Edward bragging about having a mate, in front of me and my sisters. When he had been salivating at the mouth every time I walked into the room like Pavlov's damn dogs. And fucking me every chance he could get for the last two years. So today truly came down to my own foolish ego. I didn't take the girl or her feelings into consideration because she was of no importance to me if I am being honest. We have lost so much in our millennia of life that my sisters and I do not get attached to those around us so easily let alone a human.

But then of all the misguided things I have done, I just had to fuck the man whom was involved with the person that would one day lead me to my true mate. I would have met Emery at the wedding in a few days. I didn't even have a chance to talk to her before she was throwing my actions back into my face. I have never been so ashamed of myself until my mate looked at me with so much anger directed 'at me'. Her words were like daggers to my heart. Once Emery's full name and relation to Isabella was out in the open I knew I had lost her then. All because of Edward Cullen. I have no one to blame for this but myself.

 **Irina's POV**

I stand here staring at Tanya plotting all of the ways to snap here out of this. Her true mate rejecting her. That had to have hurt but we can't sit at the Cullen's house any longer. They have brought the Volturi down upon themselves and I don't want to be anywhere near them.

And we need our coven leader. I only see one way in doing this "Hey Kate. Who did that bitch think she was talking to us like that? I think I know where she is heading. I might fuck her before I kill her." Kate's mouth drops open to speak but a vicious growl erupts from deep within Tanya's chest, her eyes are pitch black. I have a split second before she leaps for me. I jump out of the window and take off Northwards with Tanya's murderous rage hot on my ass and Kate behind her.

Kate yells up "Well that's a way to get her out of a funk. Good job but what do we do with her when she kills you?" I hear the bitch laughing. I really didn't think this all the way thru.

 **Rosalie's POV**

I watch Bella's truck leave with Emery driving off to parts unknown. I wonder what she meant by repaying me. Granted it has to be better than what she gave Edward. I wish I had a camcorder on while she beat his ass. The golden god finally got put into his place.

When I get back inside I turn the corner to see Edward now standing up holding onto his shoulder where an arm is supposed to be. Carlisle has walked over to Demetri to retrieve Edward's arm. "Can I please have my son's arm back to start reattaching it?" Demetri just turns and blows smoke out of his nostrils and says "No". Carlisle puffs up his chest.

I see the Denali sisters carry Tanya upstairs. Huh I wonder what is going on there. Tanya is usually the no nonsense coven leader when it comes to issues like these. She hasn't been acting like herself since the meeting started. Leading up to it she remained with her sisters.

Since the unveiling of Edward's dirty little secrets earlier today, the house has been in an uproar. Accusations going around and finger pointing. Edward still can't take responsibility for his poor decisions. At that thought Edward snarls and turns his glare to me "This wouldn't have happened if you just kept your mouth shut Rose!"

I smirk and shake my head "No Eddie this wouldn't have happened if you learned to keep you dick in your pants. Or better yet don't go after a girl that you know isn't your mate in the first place."

Edward stomps in place. Carlisle has turned around to diffuse the situation before it starts up again, it's been like this all day. All the while my husband just sits there and doesn't say a word, typical. Carlisle turns to Alice "How did you not see this coming?"

Alice pinches the bridge of her nose "I have not had a vision regarding Bella since she drove away from here earlier in the day. I have been trying to see this Emery person, but I come up with nothing." Jasper puts his arm around Alice and adds "When I tried to calm the room upon her arrival she was able to throw it off and project back directly to me anger, pain and deep sorrow while smiling." Carlisle turned to Edward "What did you pick up from her son?" I roll my eyes, focusing on the newcomer to pick apart instead of inward.

The boy wonder growls "Nothing, I could not read anything from here mind." Carlisle is now intrigued "So like Bella then? Maybe its heredity"

I laugh a full belly laugh "What does it matter? She still kicked your ass. She moved just as fast as a vampire. Can extend claws from her fingers. And did you guys feel uncomfortable when she entered the room. But don't forget she is in good with the Volturi. Admit it you got out classed by a complete stranger. Who called every one of you out on your shit! Instead of analyzing her, why don't we put our energy into the problems with in the coven? Bella is no longer our priority, let her go and I think it's time to fix what's broke here."

"What's broke is you opening your big mouth to my mate, what gave you the right?" I get up into Eddie's face then "That was Bella's sister. Let's say I did keep my mouth shut. Bella told us her sister, which she hadn't seen in years would be arriving today. Most likely Bella would have brought her over tonight to make introductions. We all saw how she was able to sniff out Tanya, it would have taken one whiff and she would have smelled the sex on you both. Admit it, you would have lost your personal scratch and sniff either way. So don't blame me for your own shortcomings."

Alice stands up "She's right. Bella had a right to know. And I should have told her from the start but I was too selfish. I wanted to keep my best friend. If I told her from the beginning you would have forced the family to leave. I stood by your lies, when I shouldn't have and now I have hurt Bella deeply." She hangs her head and walks back into the arms of her mate.

"This is outrageous she is mine. I have done everything that I can to protect Bella including degrading myself to the level of being intimate with Tanya. She was the one who has seduced me. I was having sex so I didn't push with Bella and kill her."

Esme hisses and glares at Edward "She is not an object. I allowed you to live in this fantasy for too long and now look where it has brought us."

Jane walks back into the room with a large military sea green duffle bag. She takes Edwards arm and shoves it in, whispers something to Demetri and they both start walking to Edward. He stiffens up and says "That won't be necessary." They both just smirk "necessary no, but it was a good idea and you know how we are about good ideas."

Demetri asks Ed "Left or Right" he doesn't respond so they take a grip to Edwards's leg, the one that is on the opposite side of the missing arm and tore it completely off. Jane looks at us "We did ask."

 **So?**

 **Next up: The Cullen's are going into the Volturi divided on many issues. The Denali's snapped Tanya out of her comatose behavior but it's still going to take a push in the right direction to get her motivated. We'll learn a little about Emery's life history.**


	9. Chapter 9

The Huntress – Chapter 9

 **I apologize if you run into any typos or errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters except for Emery. Also this is more of a filler chapter.**

 **Emery's POV**

With nearly 20 hours of driving we finally made it to San Diego, California. I figured sun beach and some sightseeing would be a good way to kick off our little adventure. I pull off the highway and signal to the girls " _This is where we are staying for a couple of days. I don't know about you but dinner and a bed sound good right now?"_

They both have been quiet for a majority of the drive so far. Leaving all that you know behind can kind of do that. We grab a quick bite at a hole in the wall bar and tavern. I pull into the Kimpton Hotel that isn't too far away from the Gaslamp Quarter that we can check out tomorrow. I get a room with two queen size beds. I'm the last one in the shower. I come out wearing a sports bra and pajama shorts.

As I make my way to the bed closest to the window. I have my back to both of them when I hear a gasp. Leah comes over to me and grabs my shoulder so my back is still facing her. "What happened?"

I sit on the edge of the bed. What caught they're attention is old scaring on my back and a brand on my lower back on the left side. " _It's not a really good bed time story_."

Leah looks at me expectantly " _Look there is a dark under belly to the supernatural world we have all seen it one way or another. When I left my mother's pride about 6 months later I was picked up by what we call poachers. It's a mix of were-creatures and feral vampires. I lucked out they didn't want me for breeding. I put up a hell of a fight but I was still one versus a group of them and they knew what I was. They ended up throwing me into an underground fighting ring. It was called the abyss because once you go in that is it. They slapped a brand on me and I started in the ring that night. You fight whatever they deem entertaining. It's like bare knuckles boxing. The fights are for entertainment for the supernatural, witches, trolls, weres, shifters, dragons, vamps you name it they are either watching or fighting. Think of Colosseum fights with betting rings for everyone."_

I shrug my shoulders and lay on my back before continuing " _As I said earlier Queen Athenodora is my bonded mom. I think she is the closest that my mother will ever get to a mate. I believe the only reason they aren't together fully mated now is because Athenodora is a bonded mate to King Caius and that is a story for another time. I was about 3 the first time mom saw me. My mother and a few members of her pride were making the semi-regular trip to Volterra when mom made eye contact with me. She was hooked from the start, she knew I was meant to be her daughter no matter who she was mated too. Anyways when I was MIA for some time both of my mother's started actively searching. They couldn't find any leads at first until one day they heard a story about the prized lioness fighter. The two of them kept all information between themselves and the pride. Athenodora went MIA during this time to help with the search efforts."_

 _"But once they got confirmation that it was me in the fighting ring. Let's just say between the two of them, there was nothing but scorched earth by the time they were done."_ I look up at the ceiling and smirk " _so if you want to remain living for a long time to come don't ever harm the cub of a tigress or a vampire_."

Bella comes to take a place next to me on the bed "How long were you with the ring?"

" _Long enough_ "

I motion to the tattoo on my right bicep " _This is the mark of my mother's pride. I may not be a member but I will always be a part of it."_ It's a circular emblem with a profile of a snarling tiger and the words 'we will make the world tremble with our rage' in Latin. My mother's claw marks also go diagonally thru the tat.

 _"Get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow."_

 **Kate's POV**

It's been nearly a day since Rina set off T. They both look worse for wear. Tanya has tackled, scratched and attempted to bite Rina. The clothes that started off as top of the line designer is in tatters and barely hanging on. As much fun as this has been it needs to stop. I got enough vids for black mail material for years to come.

We're currently somewhere in Northern Canada. T is gaining on Irina again. She gets ahold of her and I usually help Rina escape just so we do it all over again. But I got another idea this time, I just have to wait for Tanya to make contact. Tanya looks like the devil himself, you can barely see the white in the sclera of her eyes and venom is dripping from her mouth, like a mad dog. I think the only thing keeping Irina ahead is she truly fears for her life.

They're about to pass another ridge when Tanya takes Irina to the ground, that's when I make my move. I place a hand on each of their necks and send a hard powerful electric blast to both of them which then sends them to the ground.

I place myself between the two and look at T. "Irina didn't mean it. She would never kill your true mate but we had to do something to snap you out of it." I look over my shoulder to Irina "Right Rina you wouldn't kill her, fuck her sure but not kill." And with that a growl came from Tanya before I get tackled to the ground.

She is now straddling me and has her face inches from mine. "Don't you even think about fucking my mate, do you understand?" I nod my head rapidly, there's no point in joking with newly mated vampires, and it seems even with all of her years T is still just as possessive and irrational as even the youngest newly mated pair.

Irina stands and shakes the snow from what is left of her clothes "The Volturi were with the Cullen's. I was not going to have us stick around for them to find some cause to bring us with them to Italy. I said what I needed to in order to get you up and out of that house. And no I will not kill or fuck your mate." Tanya huffs and stands as well, while I'm still lying in the snow peering at the stars.

Once I am sitting up I ask the burning question "How are you doing T? A lot happened yesterday and to top it all off you found a MATE." Tanya's shoulders slumps and she hangs her head. "How do you think I feel? I finally found her and lost her at the same time. And I have no one else to blame but myself. My own mate rejected me." Tanya's bottom lip is quivering. Irina appears to be contemplating something. "What is she?"

She seems to be picking up a tangent idea "She didn't smell shifter but she was animalistic. The way she moved and her strength could rival a vampire. The scaring showed that she had been around some tough times." Tanya snarls at this. "I'm just saying if we know a little about her than we can track her down..." Tanya cuts Irina off "And then what? She hates me. I felt the pull, hell I am still feeling the pull but I don't feel anything reciprocal coming back from the link."

I clear my throat then "I don't think she could hate you. She doesn't know you. I think she hates what you did and with who. And the fact that it affected her own sister in a negative way. If it was anyone else I think she would have reacted differently." Irina jumps in "You don't know what she is so how do you know what a normal response to a vampire mating bond to her is."

With a lost look on her face Tanya sits in the snow "I really fuck it up." Irina and I look at each other, then make our way to Tanya's side. We both sit next to her and hug her around the waist. "Yeah you did!" Tanya snorts that turns into a laugh "All because of Edward Cullen". I chuckle too "what did you ever see in him?" After a moment I thought of something "You never said when she asked you yesterday, so was he any good?"

"No he was quite horrible really. No foreplay just shoving it in and after a few pumps that was it, I don't know really, I was lonely. And all those years of him turning down my advances it became my mission to get him. Every time he came around wanting my attention I just thought of it as victory. I should have stopped it a long time ago but after just the occasional nomad coming thru it's not like we get a lot of visitors." Tanya turns her head "When's the last time one of us took a humans feelings into consideration. The girl didn't even cross my mind. I knew she wasn't his mate so it wouldn't have been a problem once she was turned. She probably would have been angrier at the Cullen's deception than our bedroom trysts. But I miscalculated the girl and her associations." She takes a cleansing breath before continuing "I just wish I could go back and knee Edward in the balls the first time he came to me."

Irina rubs T's back and asks "What do you want Tanya?" Tanya leans into her "I want my mate at my side always. I want her to look at me with love and not the anger I saw earlier." I reach over and zap her and jump to my feet "We got this. What do we need to do first?" Irina stands with Tanya and smirks "Well we need to find someone with knowledge of different species." Tanya sets her shoulders back and raises her head "We have a name, we know she was also associated with the Volturi and they knew her well. That has to narrow down the list. Our first stop has to be Eleazar. We gather the intelligence. I don't want to meet my mate blinded again."

I strike a pose and turn back with my fingers in a gun point and blue sparks coming out of what would be the barrow "Did anyone say secret agent?"

 **Rosalie's POV**

Once Jane and Demetri tore off Edwards's leg off last night all I've heard was his whining throughout the house. That is why I am currently in the garage preparing my cars for long term storage. I have cars scatter all over North America but who knows the next time I'm going to see my BMW.

Emmett comes out of the house and knocks on the hood of the car to get my attention. "Do you want to go grab a bite before packing up the rooms?" I am about to respond and stop because a disgusting smell reaches my nose. Before long we hear several heavy paws coming towards the house. The wolves.

Within seconds the rest of the family is in the side meadow in a V formation well minus stumpy. Carlisle is in the front. The Volturi are nowhere to be found but I am sure they are close. The Alpha, Sam is the first to break the tree line and is snarling at us. The entire pack is still in wolf form even once they settle side by side of each other. The smell comes wafting up full force.

Carlisle raises his hands palm side up in a placated gesture. "My son is unavailable at the moment so it you wish to communicate one of you will have to change." The black coated Alpha turns after bearing his teeth and heads back to the trees to shift forms. He returns a minute later, wearing cutoff jean shorts and no t-shirt. Sam cuts right to the chase "Where is my wolf?"

I tilt my head "What don't tell me you lost one of your puppies?" I chuckle "Maybe you should have kept them on a leach."

Apparently they didn't like that response the pack is growling and Sam has started to vibrate. "Shut up leech. We can't feel her in the link anymore that's impossible." He points the finger at us "You must have done something."

It is at this point that we hear a giggle come behind our coven. I don't even need to turn around to know that Jane and Demetri have arrived. "These are the mutts that you have been hiding from us? They don't look like much."

Sam immediately starts shouting "You broke the treaty." It looks like he is about to shift when he drops to his knees and the rest of the pack follows suit. Every wolf is now on the ground howling in pain and legs kicking out trying to fight an invisible foe. Demetri speeds over and grabs both of Sam's arms and Jane grasps his throat. You can smell the fowl blood seeping out from where her nails dig in.

Jane eases her gift up but just for Sam. "Now listen up you flea rotten bitch. We are members of the Volturi, the leaders of the vampire nation and we do not take kindly to ignorance. The Cullen's have done your tribe a disservice by not informing you of the rules. You lot have been killing every vampire that crosses your land without even a simple conversation." She shakes him and increase the pulses to the rest of the pack "This will not do. I was able to take out your sniveling little pack without even lifting a finger. There are countless members of our guard with their own bag of tricks. Ready your people. A representative will be in contact soon to explain the rules and regulations. The days of your pack doing whatever you want is over!"

Jane releases his throat and wipes her fingers off on his shoulder, Sam's eyes are as wide as dinner plates "O, and if you try to fight us, we will exterminate your entire people."

With that Demetri throws him to the ground and stands next to Jane facing the pack of scared shitless wolves. Jane releases the pack from her gift and smirks at them. With a little wave they all take off back to the reservation.

"Cullen's we do not have time for your version of diplomacy. You have a day left to wrap up your affairs before we leave, use your time wisely." With that they take off to hunt in Seattle I assume.

My family makes its way back into the house. Edward is situated on the couch and looks over at Carlisle "What are we going to do? They'll just force us into the guard once we get there. We must fight them." I laugh at the idiot "You mean us fight them. What are you going to do with one leg and one arm?" He raises a lip at me "I will get my limbs back once we find out where she put them." We look over at Alice and her eyes glaze over. Scarface starts to frown, Alice makes a choked-laugh sound "Jane. She a shipped them via UPS to Italy, they should arrive on schedule in about a week."

Carlisle stands up "We have no choice but to go and see what happens. I don't see us having to remain there for long. It was most likely an order in appearance to humor this Emery person. We'll treat it like any other visit."

I stand up and face the room "That's right don't take the matter seriously. We just disregarded the Volturi's orders multiple times and broke the law because of one selfish vampire." Carlisle turns and glares at me "Rose that is enough. You are not helping the situation." Emmett has his head down and I hear nothing but crickets from everyone else. They all can't be this stupid. Jasper nods along "Carlisle has been in good standings with them and the girl is no longer our responsibility surely they can't enforce the law if she was taken off of our hands."

With a hiss I flash out of the room and back to the garage. A few hours later I have now wrapped up the cars and Emmett has made his way back to me. I don't even look up "This isn't working for me anymore. The coven is being lead down whatever fuckfest Ed feels worthy and fuck the rest. You don't even stand up for me or with me." Emmett tries to grab my hand and I brush him off "You knew it was wrong what Edward was doing to that girl and you allowed it without even making a peep."

Crossing his arms Emmett looks down before speaking "What was I supposed to say? It didn't involve us and if Carlisle was allowing it I didn't see a reason to say anything." I can't believe that this is the same man that I married "What happened to us? When we first got together you would have never stood by when someone spoke to me the way Edward does most of the time or allow any girl to be treaded the way Isabella was." I wipe my hands with the rag that I was holding and make my way to the bedroom to pack the rest of my stuff.

I walk by Alice and Jasper and hear her whisper that the Volturi are not making any new decisions regarding us as of now.

I'm just ready to get too Italy and start this circus. But that doesn't mean I have to stay.

 **So? What does everyone think?**


	10. Chapter 10

The Huntress – Chapter 10

 **I apologize if you run into any typos or errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters except for Emery**

 **Emery's POV**

Today is our last day in San Diego and we are spending the day at the zoo. Bella talked us into it. The girls have started to loosen up a little bit. Bella has shared a little bit more about her feelings towards the Cullen's and the situation with her parents. Leah explain the whole saga with imprinting. She asked me if I knew a way around it. I told her I didn't but I'd ask around.

I had already informed Bella not to be surprised if the animals respond differently towards the presences of Leah and myself. Some might cower, others maybe curious and some can be hostile. Apparently Leah hasn't been to a zoo since she started shifting.

Leah looks over at the sign for big cats "How about we say hello to some of your relatives?" I roll my eyes and follow her lead. The leopards, cheetah, mountain lions didn't really cause much of a problem. You can tell they were weary of the observation area. It was when we got to the tiger trail exhibit. Nothing bad or anything but the tiger was a little too curious of our presence. No the trouble started when we got to the lion's den. The trainers had a cub still no taller than to the knee height, off to the side where the general public could get a closer look, it was on a leached harness to ensure the handlers could control her. As soon as I walked into the area the cub had her complete attention on me. The trainer was trying to get the cubs focus fixed onto a fresh jug of milk. The cub scented the air and locked eyes with me. I sent a low chirp throaty noise out in greeting. With that the cub sprinted forward to my position. The handler was caught off guard and didn't have an effective hold to put up much resistance. I crouch down and held out my hand, fingers curried and palm down. Bella and Leah are standing behind me a few steps when the cub reaches my outstretched hand. It curiously sniffs and starts to rub its cheeks against my hand and arm. The handler rushed up apologizing when I stopped him " _she's alright I spent a semester in high-school volunteering at a Big Cat Reserve."_

The handler looked at me to make sure I was comfortable I nodded and told him I was fine before he continued on with a spiel about lions. Leah and Bella leaned down to get a closer look at the cub, which was now trying to climb higher into my lap. I pulled the cub into my arms and sent a low purr to the cub to sooth it. Within minutes the cub was curled underneath my chin with droopy eyes. Bella stepped closer "can I touch her?" I look down at the cub whose eyes are now completely closed. " _Go ahead just keep your hands away from her face and paws."_ Bella starts stroking her neck. Leah moves over to the other side and pets the cubs back and looks over at me. "So is this what you looked like when you were younger."

I continue the low purr when the cub starts to shift, I check on the handler who is still reciting all of the lion facts to the rest of the spectators " _Sort of. I was Larger and my coloring is slightly different_. _With my mother's help I was able to make my first shift the day I was born_ " Bella is still running her hands thru the fur "What do you mean help?" The handler is wrapping up now so I stand with the cub.

He walks up and apologizes again for the intrusion and takes the now sleeping cub from me. I wait for the crowd to disperse before answering Bella " _When we are young we are unable to control the shift. It takes are parents or an elder member to help bring it out. It's important for our children to be comfortable in all its forms as soon as possible so the adults help with the changing. Usually by the age of 4 the children that grew up in a pride or packs have complete control_." Leah looks down at the lion enclosure and sees a Lioness waiting by a trap door. " _The cub is hers, she is awaiting its return."_ Leah looks back to the Lion below "Will the cub be okay with having our smells clinging to it." I stand so I can look down at the Lion's below. " _Yes. She will most likely re-apply her own scent to the cub. But a lioness will not harm its own cub. A Lioness will fight to the death to protect its cub."_ Bella asks "I thought that was the male's job." I gesture below " _Do you see any male lions near the cubs."_ They both look down. Not one male in sight. " _Male lions have a habit of killing cubs to ensure the females are ready to mate again. Lionesses will protect the cubs even if it means coming together and running off males."_

" _Why don't we get out of here? Maybe get some lunch and decide what we want to do next?"_ We grab some tacos from a food truck and find a picnic table down by the beach. " _Leah I have given it some thought and I don't think there is a way to get out of imprinting…"_ Before I can continue Leah has smashed her drink that was in her hand and throws it to the side, she gives me a pleading look "I just want control over who is my perfect match, I want to choose who I give my heart to not the spirits and stupid wolf." I sympathize but I have an idea " _Look Le before you head down that dark path, I think there is a way for you to have some input on the imprinting."_ I tilt my head to get her eyes to meet mine " _You and your wolf need to come to an understanding."_ She snorts and gives me a dismissive gesture " _Le you have been blaming the wolf for your own genetics. The wolf is stuck with you just like you are stuck with her. Instead of looking at her as an invader and nuisance. Look at her as the gift that she is_." Leah scuffs "Gift. This life is not a gift." I place my hand on top of hers " _The wolf was not at fault for your father's death or how the pack treaded you and neither were you. She has given you the ability to be stronger, to live a life with a higher purposes if that is what you desire. The wolf is not stopping you from going out into the world, or experiencing college, love and menial jobs. Your old pack was doing that. Instead of helping you grow it was caging its members and that is wrong!"_

Leah now has tears in her eyes and turns away " _I think if you except the wolf and come to an understanding of what you both want in life. Then the imprint will not be so random. It will fit the requirements of what you both want and need in a mate."_

"How do I become 'one'?" After a chuckle, I know Leah is still listening even with her back turned " _Mediation, we also need to find a safe area with plenty of space where you can just be phased together_." We finish lunch and head back to the hotel. As we pass the receptionist desk I get flagged down. I had some documentation prepared for Leah and Bella. It just came in. Once we are in the room I open up the package. I hand each bank cards, new passports, and licenses. " _These are your new papers. For the next couple of years you can still use your names it's not like your running from the law of anything. The bank cards are to separate bank accounts that I opened up for both of your names the account is for expenses but the accounts are untraceable. As I said financially you never have to worry_."

I let them settle and go over the new paper work. Bella sets everything down a looks out the window. "I have made my decision." I give Bella the time that she needs to get everything out. "I was willing to be turned into a vampire because I thought that I was spending my forever with my soulmate. I was able to be charmed by the dark romance of it all like I was living in some Goth novel. I think I glamorized it. Edwards's betrayal hurt but the Cullen's lies and secrets hurt so much more."

"I have always wanted a close family. So when the Cullen's took interest I allowed myself to be pulled in and do whatever they wanted because I didn't want to lose that." She stops and turns back to us "But I was looking in the wrong places. You weren't always there but when you were, it was special to me. I have always felt like I belonged even if we have been completely different. You always made me feel safe. I had the freedom to stumble but you were there with the band aids when we were younger. When I saw you after I stepped out of the truck I remember feeling relief that I wasn't going to have to be alone thru this."

She takes my hands and looks at me "I want to be like you. If I have to become immortal I don't want to be undead. I want to be a part of the living."

I squeeze her hands " _Are you sure Bella? Once you receive the bite there is no going back. You can't change your mind later."_

"Yes. I am 100% sure." I nod and give her a quick hug.

I head over to the laptop and pull up the flight schedule for Delta. " _How do you guys feel about the rain forest_?" Leah jumps up to peek over my shoulder "Never been so I don't know."

" _We are going to need a safe place to change Bella. My mother owns property that is in the middle of the Amazon. It has a small tree hut that we can stay in. Plus it will give us time to train Bella and ourselves. We will not have to fear human interference because we will be in the middle of the jungle_."

They both are getting excited about the jungle trip and for what the future may bring. " _But there is a small glitch. The territory is home to 3 ancient vampires. They are simply called the Amazon Coven. They are human drinkers_." I know Leah is going to have the biggest issue with this " _We will be going into their backyard. I don't see that being a problem. My mother has known them for practically forever and they were even mentors to me growing up. They have a lot to teach about tracking, hiding your scent, controlling your tempers and fighting in general_." I put an arm around Leah's shoulders " _There is a whole great wide world out there. Your ex-pack and land was just a small corner. If you are going to succeed in this 'special' world you're going to have to put up with different cultures and beliefs_."

" _The Amazon coven typically feed on human poachers, drug smugglers and criminals when they hunt in the larger cities. The little villages in the surrounding areas are actually relieved and feel safe with the spirits of the rainforest."_

 _"So what do you guys say?"_

 **Rosalie's POV**

Longest trip ever with the family from Hell. We have finally made it to Volterra. Carlisle took a leave of absence. Esme closed the house and everything that was personal has been placed in storage. We took a car service from the private air strip to Volterra. At least it was two separate cars so I don't have to hear Edward complain about the humiliation of being pushed in a wheel chair. He still has 4 days until his limbs get here.

We gain entry inside of the castle which appears to have made us a spectacle. No leader is clearly defined in our coven like the others, we look like a lost tour group that has taken yet another wrong turn. The visiting vampires around us give a wide berth. The guard doesn't even look at us a curiously, we are just a fly in the ointment to them and Edward wanted to fight them. The lowest of their guard doesn't even consider us a threat. Edward has been glaring at everyone that he is pushed past. He waves Carlisle to him. "I can't hear anyone's thoughts. I haven't been able to pick anything up since we arrived." For the first time since the Volturi came to our house Edworm looks frightened. Jane leads up directly to the throne room.

Upon reaching the door Jane says over her shoulder. "Wait here until you are called." And then she disappears behind the large double doors leading to the Kings. Fifteen minutes later Alec, Jane's twin brother has opened the double doors and with an outstretched hand he says "The Kings will see you now, Cullen's."

Carlisle pushes Eddy thru the door, Esme is beside him, and everyone else just slow steps it across the entryway following the parental figures. I take a rear position since this punishment isn't really mine.

The middle throne is occupied by Aro with Marcus and Caius in their respective places. However Athenodora is taking a place between the thrones of Aro and Caius. She stands the picture of a modern day warrior queen. She is wearing a charcoal grey pin striped pants suit with a vest and tie. Complimenting her form. Her Ash Blonde hair with white highlights here and there is up in a tight bun. Her strong angular features are glaring down on my coven. That glare puts my bitch face to shame any day of the week.

Once the family has made it to the middle of the room Carlisle and Esme are the only ones that slightly bow their heads. I scuff and curtsey at the waist from my place in the back. I have only been here once before so the Kings could get an introduction with me after my new born stage was over. All covens are supposed to report and new members and introduce them to the Kings. That way if you ever cause problems they know which coven leader should be responsible for their subordinates. But they informed me back then before arriving the proper way to greet the vampire royalty.

"Cullen's I see that you have made it in one piece." Aro waves his hand in Edwards's direction "Almost all of you. Young Edward it has felt like so long since we've seen you." Eddy huffs and tries to act disinterested "I can't read anyone here. What have you…?" Carlisle places a hand on Edward and takes over "What my son is trying to say, is that his gift hasn't been working since our arrival and we were curious as to why?"

Caius sneers and points down at Edward "That boy was speaking out of turn again. And if you actually paid attention to situation awareness, you would realize that none of your coven's gifts worked since entering the city." Caius smirks at our shock faces "And you have the self-titled 'God of War' whom I wouldn't trust to wipe up shit. He has deserted every war he was involved in."

Jasper looks taken back by the assessment but we have all heard about his past. He was turned to help lead during the vampire wars.

But what I later learn from Kate of all people, whom is friendly with Maria his maker. Is that Jasper's sire found a better fit for him and took him from the front battle groups. He ended up using his gift to calm the newborns while they received training. He knows what he does by watching others train the newborns, but not by experiencing it himself.

Don't get me wrong Jasper has some skills but he is over 250 years old so he'd be an idiot not to pick up something. He is always reading historical books about war and strategy as well. I don't know if that is to look the part or because he is truly interested. He'll spar with the rest of us but I have never seen him go up against the Denali's. When we take down a nomad that threatens our territory it has always been in a group and we utilize Edwards and Alice's gifts to trap first.

Carlisle looks to Aro "And why is it that they're gifts have been effected in such a way?" Aro smiles at Carlisle like an indulgent teacher "That is for us to know old friend, but you will find your members unable to use their gifts as long as they are with the Volturi. We have a new member that can disrupt the gifts of our intended and only passive non-aggressive ones at that. So perfect for your family." Edward growls from his chair "Is this some ploy to have us in your guard?"

Marcus leans forward "You have over stepped your own capabilities. We do not want any of you as part of our guard. You would be more trouble than what it's worth. You have spent so long bragging about the Cullen's gifted members that everyone now knows how to work around you lot." He raises his chin to Alice "Tell me child did you even see Emery coming. She directly impacted your coven, and could have killed you all, she had enough motive?" Alice steps forward to answer "No I didn't see her. I have been trying since meeting her but I still see nothing of her or Bella."

I see Athenodora give a small smile at the corner of her mouth at this and what appears to be pride shining in her eyes. Edward clenches the arm of the wheel chair with too much force and snaps the arm. "What does that bitch have to do with this? We should be hunting her down for stealing another's mate." I look to the queen again and see her eyes turn a murderous black once Edward is done speaking.

Marcus takes over again "Ah yes you still claim to have a mate bond with the human girl." He takes a look at Edward before continuing "I can tell you boy that you have never even had a bonded mate or a true mate. Even with her still human one would have formed. The only bonds that you have is the sire bond which is the strongest and varying degrees of friendship or companionship bonds that are replaceable with the rest of your coven mates."

Edward screws his face up to argue further when Esme shushes him. Aro has a Cheshire cat like grin "Wonderful. Now I want to see the compliance this coven had in regards to breaking the law of our kind." He glides out of his chair and down the stairs to stand in front of Carlisle and holds out his hand "We will start will you as coven leader." He makes his way thru every member until he is now standing in front of me with his hand out "You are more of a formality my dear. We will not rescind our earlier judgement of you no matter what I see." Aro has kept a pretty good poker face since the start and he looks to me still giving nothing away. I slowly lay my hand in his, after a few moments Aro nods and glides back to his throne.

"It would seem that every one of you knew it was against our laws and continued to risk our secrets with humans. Not just with Isabella. You have placed your 'children' in high schools across the world where they were outcasts and everyone had a theory of how they were different. You risk to must to remain something of which you are no longer."

"We pretend to be passerby's in the human world to be able to live in there world and only temporarily not too pretend that we are them and live permanently."

Carlisle steps forward "We live with them to keep hold onto what is left of our humanity." Athenodora now speaks for the first time. She looks down at Carlisle like he is an annoying child "You are no longer human. It is about time that you embrace this fact. Is not morals, ethics, integrity things that the humans value so much. Yet your coven hold none of these values or at least haven't shown it with its activity throughout the decades. You flaunt yourselves to humans every day and show them levels of knowledge, beauty or skills in which they would never achieve. Isn't that cruel?"

My father figure is sputtering now "With all of my years my coven has never broke the law. I will admit our decisions regarding Isabell Swan have not been the best. But surely with her no longer being a concern, which cannot be held over our heads."

With a snap of the fingers Aro tally's up the Cullen's transgressions as a whole. Every slip where we were exposed and had to cover up. How every one of those exposures could have been avoided if we weren't spending extensive time pretending to be human? The list went on until we finally got to the most react violations of Edward playing with a human, telling her about vampires and courting said human for his own game and Carlisle failing to enforce the law multiple time. The warnings about Edwards's behavior over the years. Everything that was overlooked Aro is laying it all out to bare for all to see. And the court is full with other vampire covens, this fuck up has official gotten out to the rest of the vampire world.

What respect Carlisle had before walking thru those doors is now gone. Once he is finally done Aro continued on "Have no fear 'old friend' we are here to help you. We as the Volturi are going to use your coven as an example. We will educated you until you understand every single one of our laws and act accordingly. I will test your thinking thru out to ensure that you are indeed understanding. You are right you did not technically break the law because the girl's life was taken off of your hands but you have been skating with our laws long enough. That is why you are not all dead but you still must be punished." He then looked out to the other covens in the room. "Let this be a lesson to the rest. We have made and enforce these laws to protect vampires. Use the Cullen's as an example. We are vampires and should act as such. If the human world were to know about vampires it would be mass hysteria and we would be hunted."

 **Tanya's POV**

Arriving back at our home in Alaska we contacted our coven mate Eleazar. He and his wife Carmen are on a romantic getaway. The cell is in the center of the table and on speaker as Irina is retelling the events for the past couple of days. She is now going over my mates physical characteristics when Zar cuts her off "I believe I know would you are talking about. She had a tattoo of a tiger on her upper right bicep, correct?"

I lean forward like it could pull me to my mate, excitement drumming threw my undead heart "Yes she did. Do you know what it means?" There is a shuffling noise on the other end of the phone.

"I know who you are referring to. I met her sort of. We didn't speak she was visiting when I was called to make an assessment of a vampire's gift."

Kate is now leaning in "That's great. What is she?" She always has a way to cut to the chase. Eleazar laughs "Well you would already know if you three were a little more interest in the affairs of the supernatural world and Volturi." It's true my sisters and I have isolated ourselves from such things after Sasha. We just didn't want to take the risk. The only coven we interact with regularly was the Cullen's and when Eleazar tried discussing politics we had no interest. We kept up to date with any new laws to ensure they were maintained but we stayed out of their dealings and they stayed out of ours.

"She is an Alpha Were-Lion. Her birth mother is very old and very powerful Were-Tiger, she's the Alpha of the pride. But Emery must be of age now and no longer falls under her mother's domain."

Irina steps closer to the table "What are Were-creatures doing at the Volturi?" Zar tuts and goes on to explain all of the politics that we have missed since the wars with the were-wolves. To say we should have known this is an understatement. There was an entire world we were blinded too that my mate was a part of and I didn't even know.

After Zar is done with the different aspects of Were physiology I ask him about mating bonds and why she didn't feel the pull, or at least act in accordance.

Eleazar is silent for far too long. "I am aware of their mating bonds I was present to witness a discussion of a were-cats mating bonds."

"Tanya. They do in fact have mating bonds but it must be earned. She will never automatically look upon someone and produce a bond except for familiar bonds, they will form upon eye contact or close proximately realizing that the person close or within eyesight is family. It had something to do with protective instincts and pack mentality."

I slump into my seat "So she didn't feel it."

A receive a zap from Kate "You're a dumbass sometimes, if she didn't feel it than she didn't reject you." I hear from the other end of the phone "And she is free to bond with whomever she wants because she is still on the market" I jump up and pick up the phone growling into it "She is MINE" before ending the call. Irina has to take the phone from my hand.

"I need a plan to find her and start wooing her before something else comes to snatch her up." I look to my sisters and I know that they will do everything in their power to help me. "I couldn't do this without you both."

Kate hugs me "Aww just remember that when you get your cat. And I want a threesome." With that she zaps me again and starts running around the house laughing. I scowl after her blurred form. There is something really wrong with her sometimes.

 **So?**


	11. Chapter 11

The Huntress – Chapter 11

 **I apologize if you run into any typos or errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters except for Emery**

 **Emery's – POV**

With a 13 plus hour flight under our belt we have arrived in Manaus Brazil. From here it's all trek. We gathered materials yesterday like hiking packs, water jugs, sleeping bags, hiking boots, cargo pants and shorts. I had Bella get everything sizes larger than she would typically wear. We need to make it to the outskirts of Manaus. The Bronco and all of our remaining belongings were placed in storage. I set up automatic payments thru one of my accounts since I don't know how long this will take. I informed both of my mothers. And promised both I would keep the satellite phone on in the hut once we arrived. I tried getting a hold of the Amazons before our arrival with no such luck.

After getting a ride to the less populated areas we head to one of the trail routes and walk off for about ten minutes. It's still early afternoon so I expand my senses to ensure that we aren't going to be interrupted. I turn and take off my pack. " _Alright this is where we'll change_ " I say this to Leah " _Bella you'll ride on my back, secure our packs first and help with Leah's. Now you both remember my descriptions of the Amazon coven, right?"_

Leah sets down her pack and starts taking off her boots. "Yeah, don't worry I won't take a bite out of anyone." I snort and scrunch my face " _I don't think you could even if you wanted too. When I shift I am going to release my full scent. I don't want them smelling a foreign wolf in their territory. Cheer up Leah they have never seen a wolf female shifter, so they will probably be excited. Don't be surprised if there is a lot of touching."_ I have to laugh at her sour face. I start undressing and look to Bella " _You ready for this?"_

"Yeah, and I am kind of curious to what you look like."

I nod my head and take several steps back. I close my eyes centering myself and open them slowly. I push the change out from my center to all of my extremities the discomfort is welcome and within moments I am at my most natural form.

 **Bella's POV**

If I blinked I would have missed it. A second ago my sister was standing in front of me. In that spot now is a massive Lioness. She is beautiful. Leah comes forward to stand closer.

"Damn, Sam thought he was big." I couldn't agree more she has to be at least half a foot taller but where Sam and Jake were big and balky. Emery is lean muscle. She has a reddish, sandy fawn color coat with shades of gold and silver sprinkled thru out. Her eyes have to be the most unique. Normal it's a dark blue with gold but now it's the reversal gold with dark blue streaks. She makes a throaty noise and sits back on her hunches.

She looks regal, powerful, and dangerous and right now impatient. Leah huffs "Hold you horses. It's not like everyone has seen and enormous Lion before. Bitch please." Leah turns back to finish undressing and shoving all of the clothes into her pack. I keep my attention on Emery who seems to be taking in our surroundings the sights and smells that I couldn't even imagine seeing and smelling just yet. But soon. I am at peace with my decision. Emery has answered all of my questions without trying to sugar coat anything or straight up telling me I don't need to worry about it, or making decisions for me in order to protect me.

I have finally come to the conclusion that everything Edward had done was for himself and nothing was in my best interests. But what upset me the most was Alice, Esme and Emmett. They made me believe that they cared and we were family. I was just some pawn to them, a way to cut the mundaneness of eternal life. Emery pointed out to me that the Cullen's were one of the only coven's that purposely does the same thing over and over again. They never break out of the cycle. Maybe some variations of class schedules, or college studies but that is it. And most vampires try not to live such a repetitive life. Vampires are already going to have to repeat enough stuff because they live so long but why force yourself into a cycle like that.

I hear a noise behind me and turn to see Leah in wolf form. Her coat is definitely not for this sort of climate. She has a mixture of greys, the lightest of which is on her belly, chest and inside of her legs. It progressively gets darker going up her sides and back. She is smaller than Emery more compact. Lean muscles but you can tell Leah is built for speed. I shake myself and walk to Leah's pack. We got some bungee cargo cables that can hook together. It should keep everything strapped to their bodies. I secure Leah's stuff and do the same for mine and Emery's. Emery is currently laying on her stomach waiting for me to climb on. I do my best to scramble up without letting my clumsy nature get the best of me. I position myself near Emery's shoulders and reach handfuls of what scruff she has closer to her neck area. The fur is soft but thick, almost coarse in parts.

She gets up slowly and I lean my upper body into her practically laying my torso flat and using my legs to grip. After a moment of allowing me to adjust she takes off and it's a whole new experience. I had ridden Jake before and it was like a freight train speeding thru the woods I spent that time praying we weren't going to crash into the trees. Edward was faster, everything was a blur the speed made my stomach bottom out and everything was jarring. I sometimes walked away with bruises from crashing into his stone like body. With Emery everything is fluid and graceful. She knows her body and how to move without having to think to act extra cautious with me on her back.

The rainforest whips around us. The colors are gorgeous, it's thick forestry, vines, vegetation and untouched, it's breathtaking. We have been traveling thru the rainforest for a while when Emery slows down to a trot. She makes a motion upwards with her head and a throaty cough sound. I look up and see the ultimate treehouse. When she said tree hut I was expecting something like a chalet on stilts. It has three detached units that is connected to the main structure by what looks to be a vine suspended walkway. All units are high up in the trees and the structures are made out of large paned glass walls and natural wood. There is only one problem I don't see a way up.

Emery comes to a stop and looks up to the tress opposite. In the twilight hours I don't see anything but Leah must of sensed something too because her heckles are up. Emery lays down for me to get off. And makes a chirping sound. What surprises me is the almost identical sound come back from high up in the trees. By the time I slide off of Emery's back and detach the cables to the packs. Three shadows make their presence known and blur out of the trees. Leah has crouched but I look at the three individuals and see Emery's body language. This must be the Amazon coven. She did say they would find us. I get my confirmation when Emery still in Lion form walks up and nuzzles all three of them with affection. The three of them haven't taken their eyes off of Leah they gave me a slight glance but must have determined that she was more of a threat. They accepted Emery's affection and returned the nuzzle. Emery has stepped back and began to change back to her human form.

Once she is back in form she turns to me and Leah still naked to make introductions " _Bella, Leah this is the Amazon coven; Zafrina the coven leader, Kachiri and her mate Senna_."

She turns to the coven and says something in a language that I don't understand, all three are looking to Emery and then back to us.

After explaining something she gestures to the tree house " _We are going to continue our conversation up there. Leah can you carry my pack up? I have to climb up to release the stairs."_ She throws on a pair of baggy shorts and tank top. And walks to the base of the tree under the main house. I can see her extend her claws on each hand and her feet before she starts climbing up. I have seen videos online before about speed climbing but nothing is compared to this.

Emery enters what appears to be a trapped door. A few seconds later a grinding gear sound can be heard and then a suspended stairwell that wraps circularly around the tree slots into place. One side is attached to the tree and the other side of the stair is held up by ropes. The Amazon's don't wait for an invitation and head up. I grab my pack and look over to Leah. She huffs and rolls her eyes and heads out to the surrounding trees to change. I make my way to the first step and pray that I don't fall down. The steps are surprising sturdy but I do keep my hand on the tree for leverage. By the time I reach the top Leah has already started her way up. An oil lamp is already lit on the inside with the two sides of walled window panes slid open to get a cross breeze that you wouldn't have felt down on the rain forest floor with its thick vegetation. The room has large pillows for seating and everything is either wood or glass.

Emery turns to me from speaking with the Amazon's " _I was just about to explain the reason for our visit. Sit anywhere you like. They may have questions for you both. Once this is done I will show you where you can sleep_."

Zafrina says something to Emery and crosses her arms. " _Well I did call a head on that satellite phone I got you last time but no one picked up_." Senna snorts and elbows Zafrina before saying something to Emery which makes her chuckle.

We all sit down near a circular table top while Emery explains everything from the Quileute wolves and Leah to my time with the Cullen's to her intervention with the Volturi. And lastly she explains why we came here. Her biting me and the following training. The Amazon hissed at certain areas in the retelling they examined my vampire bite mark at one point and had additional questions which they routed thru Emery. By the end they agreed to allow our presences in their territory and help train us. Emery told me and Leah that they secretly liked teaching others if the trainee was willing to learn and dedicated to what you were being taught.

After a few more questions about wolf shifters and the Cullen's they left for the night. Leah looked out to where the three vampires disappeared too. "How are they going to teach us, if we can't understand them?" Emery huffs " _They know how to speak English, they just like fucking with people_."

Of course they do. Emery points to the detached hut that will be Leah's and turns to me " _There is no time like the present. And it's why we are here. Are you ready Bella?"_ I stand up "Yes".

" _Good, drink what water you can now. You're going to sleep and sweat a lot the next couple of days. When you wake in intervals we are going to have to get you to take down as much water as you can. Remember it's going to be flu like symptoms and your whole body is going to hurt. Come on let's get you comfortable in your hut."_

I follow Emery to my hut. I was a little unsure of the vine walkway but I slowly got across. Emery opens the side panes to let the air come thru and sets a water jug on the side of the bed. " _Get some thin linen clothes on, something loose and pick a place on your body that you won't mind having a scar from my bite_."

I change into a thin cotton shirt and shorts. I tell Emery that I would like the bite just under my hip so that way shorts and underwear will hide it. " _Alright, when I clamp down it will just be for a few seconds to transmit the virus. You will feel some burning while my teeth are still attached. The wound will scab in moments and by the time tomorrow morning hits the scar will have development. Once I bite you, don't be surprised if you feel rather sleepy."_

I lay in the bed on my side. I pull my shorts down to expose the area that Emery will be biting. " _Alright in 3 days' time this will all be over. Try to relax_." With that she sneezes my hand and stand. Emery transitions to a partially turned form. She still looks more human than beast. Emery could have bit me in her Lion form or the true Were-Lion form that I haven't seen yet or this. She chose this form so the bite area would be at its smallest. Her teeth have sharpened with large incisors and her facial features have taken on a more cat like appearance. She leans over me and slowly opens her mouth. In a flash she has already clamped onto my hip area. When I begin to register the burning she has released me. Emery grabs a wash cloth and dabs the area.

I can feel my eyes getting droopy when I hear " _Welcome to your new life, Bells."_ I can't help but smile.

 **Tanya's POV**

It's been three days since our phone call to Eleazar. In that time I have gathered all material that I can from Zar's library and studied up on Supernatural creatures and paying extra attention to were-cats. Irina has been gathering information about Emery Swan. And Kate has been doing whatever Kate does.

Irina shuts the laptop screen and huffs "She doesn't exist." I turn to speak to her "What are you talking about? Of course she exists." Irina shakes her head "No she doesn't exist in the human world. I was using our private eye and there is nothing regarding an Emery Lenna Swan. No birth certificate, school or hospital records. Not even property or bank accounts. She is a true ghost in the human world."

I stand and look at her "How is that even possible? Her father was a police chief wasn't he? Wouldn't he be suspicious of his daughter not even having a birth certificate?"

Irina nods along "Yes you would think so I had our PI make some calls to Forks. His co-workers didn't even know he had another daughter. So he got a hold of his old partner. The retired old man had a lot to say about Emery. Apparently he took a liking to a little Emery and looked at her like a granddaughter until he retired and moved to Oregon with his family. He says that Emery was the result of a one night stand and that Charlie Swan didn't want anything to do with her. He didn't have to pay child support and when she was with him in the summers her father would drop her off with others to take care of. Either grandparents while they were alive, family friends down at the reservation or his old partner and wife would look after her. He says she was an active young girl, always getting into something, but incredibly sweet to those she took to. But if you were on her bad side somethings would magically happen."

Kate rushes in "Magically happen?" Of course she was listening. This is the most excitement we have had in years. Irina's eyes are sparkling "Flat tires, loosen screws, dead fish in cars, greased steps, egged houses, things taken apart and put together upside down. They could never prove that it was her but when she was gone none of those things would occur. And it was all of the people she didn't like."

"So your mate is a prankster on top of being a troublemaker." Kate looks up with shining eyes "She perfect."

I nudge Kate "Just remember whose mate she is." Kate looks over at me and puts her hands up in surrender "Why are you guys focusing with the human world anyways it's obvious she wouldn't be a part of it."

Irina props up her elbows on the desk. "Where would you suggest looking genius?" Kate rolls her eyes and crosses her arms "Some of our contacts. Between the three of us we nearly bedded every free roaming vampire in this side of the hemisphere. One of them has to know about were-creatures and Emery or at least point us in the right direction." I snarl "Calling up one of my old conquests and asking for information regarding my mate seems to be asking for trouble." Kate comes over and squeezes my shoulder "It was just an idea." I lean into her a little bit thinking about the situation and perk up after a moment. "You are right about looking into the wrong world. What about Jenkins? The lawyer he has to have contacts to information channels that we wouldn't, or at least know where to start."

"And we already employ him with the handling of some of our accounts." With a new avenue to take us, we all head off to complete our tasks. The more I know now hopefully the sooner I can be reunited with my mate and pull out all of the stops.

 **Rosalie's POV**

After nearly a week with the Voturi my coven hasn't learned anything. Alice is too busy trying to sneak out and shop in Florence. Esme and Carlisle are shadowing Edward around to keep him out of trouble. And my husband is making a fool of himself with trying to 'wrestle' the guard. The guard will be in the sparring arena practicing there form when Emmett will walk up begging to play. He can't take anything seriously. I tried talking to him and telling him this isn't a game and that the vampire world were watching our every action. But it just went in one ear and out the other. I was told to lighten up.

I was too lost in my thoughts and gazing down at Emmett in the arena that I didn't notice King Marcus come up beside me. I see him looking down at Emmett as well out the corner of my eye. "Do you know about the different mating bonds, child?" I have to think of where he is going with this "Yes, there is bonded and true mates. One happens over time and one happens in an instant. Both are forever."

His ancient face turns towards me "Who told you that child? It was only partially correct." I meet his gaze now and inform him Carlisle my maker was the one to tell me about mating bonds.

"Well allow me to educate you. True mates do in fact form in an instant and are unbreakable as long as both pair are vampires. A vampire can find its true bond in other species like shifters, humans, witches and other supernatural. And depending on the species they can feel the bond on eye contact or the vampire will have to work for it. But yes once the bond is formed for true mates it is forever."

He takes a moment "Now bonded mates form over time as long as both parties have mutual love and respect for one another. Under some special circumstances can one of the pairing force the bond onto another. But like I said it has to be under special conditions. But a bonded mating is breakable. Feelings can change and the bond can weaken to the point that it is no longer a mating bond but just companionship."

I start getting a sinking feeling "Why are you telling me this?" He taps his nose "I think you know why. You Rosalie no longer have any mating bond. You are keeping yourself shackled to something that doesn't exist." And with that he was gone.

FUCK.

 **So?**


	12. Chapter 12

The Huntress – Chapter 12

 **Emery's POV**

Today is marked as day three since I bit Bella, her temperature has already started to drop. I have been checking on her periodically and trying to keep her cool with wash rags while refreshing the water. She has been semi lucid at times but nothing irregular. But when she rises today all of the changes to her body should be complete and the learning will start.

At the same time I have been teaching Leah how to mediate or at least trying to. It takes a lot of patience to center yourself at first but she is getting it. Zafrina has also been taking Leah out for a few hours a day so Leah can work on her temper. Zafrina uses her powers of illusion to put Leah in an enraged scenario and the goal is for her to remain calm and not automatically shift. So far she has shifted but it's hard when someone is purposely pushing your buttons. It took some coaching to get Leah to agree to work with Zafrina and to allow her to use her gift for the training. In the end she understood the benefit and I don't think she wants to be ruled by her temper like some of the other wolves of La Push were.

Kachiri is teaching Leah the proper way of tracking. Right now its animals. But eventually it will be one of the three vampires. Senna has been trying to work on scent repression but it's been a learning curvy for both. Senna has never worked with any type of shifter and the wolf brings forth a whole new combination of smells and the reasoning behind certain pheromones. I can tell that all three of the vampires are enjoying the break from their normal routine. Leah seems to be taking it all in. When she isn't training she is running the territory and just being a wolf.

I hear Bella's breathing accelerate, she must be waking up. I haven't gone too far from the huts since I bit her just in case she needed anything. I make my way to her room. I imagine waking up with all of the changes to your body can be alarming. Once I reach her room and peek inside, I see her eyes are already open. Her eyes are still brown but she has a lighter shade with almost a bronze undertone. I smile at her and make my way closer to the bed. I send calming pheromones out. She turns to me and slowly sits up.

I put my hand on her shoulder and hand her the jug of water. " _Don't go to fast. You still can suffer from dehydration_." She takes a couple of mouthfuls and sets the jug back down. " _Do you want to see what you look like now?"_

Bella gives me a small smile and nods her head. "Yeah, I can already tell my vision and hearing have improved. I can see things I wasn't able to before." I help her stand and lead her to the mirror behind the door.

 **Bella's POV**

Emery helps me make my way to the mirror. When I am in front of it, it's almost startling the difference. I was around 5'4" before now I am around 5'9", my body has more muscle tone, my hair which was a chestnut brown now has shades of a bronze golden color throughout it and it looks like my eyes had the same colors added to my natural brown. I look up to Emery "Do you know what form I am going to take?"

Emery shakes her head " _No, we won't find that out until you shift for the first time."_

I feel energy rush through my veins "When can we do that?" Emery just rolls her shoulders back before heading to the main house _"Let's get some food and water in you before shifting. But the sooner you shift on your own the better it will be. It hurts less than forcing a shift later when you least expect it."_

I quickly follow behind Emery and I am half way to the main house when I notice that I am on the vine walkway. Three days ago this would have scared the shit out of me but now I didn't even worry about falling. That's when I realized I haven't tripped once since getting out of bed, not only that but I walked steadily and with some grace granted it wasn't practiced but still.

" _Are you coming or what_?" I snap myself out of my own monologue and continue walking. Emery already has a plate made up for me. It's full of fruit and dried meats. I scarf down everything on the plate and drain the jug of water on the table. Emery keeps me company and gets me up to date with the training Leah has already started.

" _Now eventually you will start the same sessions. But your priority is going to be learning to shift back and forth with your forms. And just generally learning this new aspect of yourself. So it's going to be a lot of one on one with just the two of us at first. Your were-cat is going to automatically see me as its unofficial Alpha. This is a good thing so we can share a pride link to communicate in our shifted forms. I already explained this to Leah but I'll go over it again. Apparently with her old pack link all thoughts and feels were shared whether you wanted to or not. Our link will be different. You will have to actively think of sending a thought, image, memory or feeling to me. Just like us talking back and forth. Now an alpha can force its way into another's mind but you would feel it. I can't think of a reason for an alpha doing that unless a member was hurting another member or the overall pride_."

"Who would be my official alpha?" I didn't want some stranger having control over me. Emery sits straighter " _Well right now you don't have one. I want you to get used to your were-cat. Once that happens if you feel comfortable with it we can make our pride bond official and I would be your alpha. But I would never force that bond onto you_."

After using the facilities and freshening up a bit we head out. We find a good spot next to a water fall, this will be the area that I attempt to make my first shift. " _Now some use strong emotions usually anger that triggers the first shift. But this can be rather disorienting and painful the first time. It's going to be painful regardless but let's try to minimize it as must as possible. I want you to close your eyes and center yourself, you'll feel a new part deep inside it'll almost pulsate with power, focus on that imagine bringing it to your core and pushing it out in all directions. And then just release_." I follow along with Emery's instructions.

I am about to give up when I feel it. The power. It's startling but it's a part of me so I know I shouldn't fear it. I focus on it and try bringing it to the surface. Finally I feel it and push it with as much force that I can outwards. Before I know it I hear fabric ripping and bone shattering pain shot throughout my entire body but by the time I cry out it's already starting to fade. I open my eyes and see Emery changing into her Lion form. I don't even realize I am in a different form until I realize my eyesight is much closer to her chest area. I look down and I have large spotted paws. I did it!

" _I couldn't think of a more fitting form for your curious nature Bella. You have taken the form of an Amur Leopard_." She sends me the image of myself I am spotted with a burnt golden-orange coat. I have a smaller body with elegant muscles that are more lean and sturdy in my back legs. Emery walks passed me and tugs on my tail. " _Come on, time to stretch those legs_."

Emery springs out heading thru the trees. I surge after her trying to keep up. I use the extra muscle in my back legs to propel myself faster. I have never felt so powerful and free before. I can feel Emery thru the link just her presence and it's comforting. This is the start of the rest of my life.

 **Rosalie's POV**

It's been days since Marcus set my world off of its axis. I just keep on think that he must be mistaken but in the back of my mind how can I argue with the king who literally sees bonds. That is his power. Why would he lie about something like that? I can't think of a reason. To drive a wedge but my coven is already falling apart on its own without any help from outside interference.

I find Emmett in our reserved room nursing his bruised ego from getting his ass handed to him by the guard. He just had to pester them to wrestle. And when they finally did, let's just say they didn't pull any punches. These weren't free roaming nomads that we occasionally come up against every few decades. This is the Volturi guard that have spent years some of them centuries honing their skills. They have devoted all of their time perfecting the craft of hand to hand combat.

You either have to be a guard member to receive the training from the instructors or a gifted individual that they have taken notice of. The most prestigious trainer is an ancient, it's rumored that he was originally a Spartan which would put him in the 371 to 146 BC time period. They simply call him The Spartan. He has devoted his life to combat. There hasn't been a war that he hasn't been involved in. He has not personally trained a member of the guard himself in over 900 years. And that guard ended up getting dismembered and set aflame. He'll give instructions to the other trainers about improving an individual and then head out to do something else. Caius and Spartan loath each other it is said that they haven't spoken in millennia's. But the most interesting rumor surrounding this guy is the fact that he took on a pupil more than a decade ago. He would train this person in private and travel with this pupil to give instructions. It was the longest period he spent away from the Volturi and his duties.

The rumor mill in this place is that of a high school girl's locker room. No one knows the identity of the pupil except a hand full of facts regarding said person. The person was not a member of the Volturi and Queen Athenodora made the introduction.

With all of these facts circling around the most prized instructor Emmett still had the gull to ask for training from the best. The man didn't even dignify that with a response. I quickly had to grab a hold of Emmett's arm and dragged him away before something could happen. That was earlier today.

"Emmett how do you feel about me? Honestly after all of these years what do you feel?" it needs to be asked I need to know if Marcus was right. Was I hanging onto something that was no longer there?

Emmett rolls his eyes "You know how I feel about you Rosie." I stiffen I want an answer not some deflection "No I don't that is why I am asking. After all of these years together do you still love me the same you did 70 years ago?" He finally turns to take in the situation and I can already see the sadness in his eyes as he says "Yes". He didn't even try to make it a convincing lie.

I take an unnecessary breath and look down at my lap. It's time to be brave and no one has ever called Rosalie Lily Hale a coward, naïve, blinded, shallow, self-centered, and bitchy but not a coward. I tell him what Marcus shared with me a few days ago and I finally get to the heart of the matter "I think when we first got together we were exactly what each other needed. You brought me out of my shell and provided a light in the darkness of my immortal life. You were the first man I trusted after the end of my human life and I felt I needed your protection. But somewhere along the way it was no longer a romantic love, more of a best friend and I think we stuck to it because we didn't know any different." I take Emmett's hand and meet his eyes. He has venom tears shining in the golden color. "Can you honestly say you don't feel that way too?"

Its silent in the room for a moment before Emmett makes a cough sound before speaking "I didn't even know mates couldn't sleep with other people because the bond prevented it until that Emery called Edward out on his actions. I really thought if we agreed like we had that the bond was still strong as it has always been. After all Carlisle said mates are forever." Ah yes are open relationship status. That didn't even cross my mind when thinking of all of the ways that our bond deteriorated. But it was just another red flag that I ignored. We had an open relationship since the late 50s the rules were simple, it had to be someone that was a onetime thing and it could not be anyone that we knew. And we were never to ask questions of the other. What Emmett never knew was I had never used our open relationship status. He has been the only person I have been intimate with since my turning. I still have problems with intimacy that is why I allowed the open status in the first place to appease Emmett.

I let go of his hand and stand up facing the closet. "I don't think we should carry on with this farce. It is holding us both from our true path. And I can't keep on living like this, it's not fair to either of us." I turn to Emmett again my husband for over 70 years "I will always love you and look fondly at most of our time together but it's time to end this. I'm leaving." Emmett takes a hard look at me and stands in front of me "If you need some space Rosie that's fine I can move to another room." I shake my head and move to grab my suitcase "No, I am leaving the covenant. When I say I can't do this I mean all of it. We are not mates Emmett something that Carlisle knew and lied about by omitting certain facts. I get treated poorly, stepped over and ignored. I don't want my eternal life to be like this anymore. I don't want to sit in a class room forever playing an angst teenager." Emmett is looking around for a way out of this "You can't just go Rose. We are family even if I am not your husband anymore." I shake my head and touch Emmett's cheek "We have different definitions of a family then." He goes to disagree "Please Emmett let me go. I need to go. Do this last thing for me. Please" I kiss him on the lips slowly and he hugs me tightly to his body while I tuck my face into his neck to breathe him in once breaking our last kiss. He nods his head and silently leaves the room.

Sometime later I split up our personal accounts and divide our assets. I have already contacted Jenkins to get the divorce proceedings started. My bags are packed and waiting at the human receptionists desk. The car service is already loading them and just waiting on me.

I have two stops to make before heading out. I requested an audience with King Aro to explain my leaving. Upon arriving in the throne room I don't say a word and just hold out my hand. Aro looks at me questionably but takes it. When he drops it he just says good luck in my travels and walks back to his throne I turn around and search for my supposed coven leader. I find him in the study with Jasper, Edward and Esme.

I look at him with my resting bitch face "We need to talk privately." He looks up from his book "Rosalie can this wait we were just in the middle of a discussion." I glare at him. I was going to do this privately but if he wants to do this here for all to see than I don't have a problem with it "No it can't. I can no longer in good conscience remain a member of this coven." I pull the Cullen Crest from around my neck and lay it on the table. Esme gasps and pleads with me. Jasper and Edward have shocked looks on their faces. But I pay them no mind I am too busy watching Carlisle. "Rose what is all of this about. If you wish to travel on your own I won't stop you but you don't have to leave the coven for that."

Laughter spills from my lips "This is not about traveling. This is about you as a coven leader. You have lied to me for the last time. I now know the true definition of what mates are. All of those questions I had about me and Emmett over the years and me questioning the bond. You telling me it happens that we were mated and there was no breaking that. Was that you trying to chain me?" I don't wait for an answer "You had to have known that our bond was gone. But you just kept pushing us together. You allowed a spoiled 17 year old child to lead this coven to ruins for his own selfish wants. I don't want to be seen as a child of some rich doctor anymore. You will never learn unless someone forces you too. And I am done." With that I walk away of what was my family for so long.

I don't look back at any of the calls for me. I make my way to the car service and position myself in the back seat. I direct the driver to take me to the airport. A new chapter is about to be written and I don't feel dread for the first time.

 **Tanya's POV**

It's been weeks since we contacted Jenkins regarding my mate. At this point I don't need the history I can learn that myself from Emery. I just need to find her. It's like she dropped off the face of the earth. We have even searched Bella Swans accounts for activity and nothing. Any finer searching like license scans would require a warrant and hacking into these systems could raise the flags of human government agencies.

I have even been desperate enough to search for her mother's pride location. Just so I can contact her regarding her daughter. Which she will probably rip my head off before telling me. But it would seem a prides movement is just as secretive as Emery's current location. So I am forced to sit and wait for information or Emery herself to surface. I feel so useless. I could go to the Volturi but it would put my coven at risk. Prying information out of Aro is next to impossible.

Irina is stretched along the couch with a book in hand while Kate is sitting in front of the television watching the Lion King, again.

My cell phone starts ringing and I pick it up without looking "Hello" I listen to the caller. "When will you be arriving?"

"Alright I will see you soon."

I walk into the living room and stand in front of the tv. "It would appear that we are getting a house guest for the foreseeable future."

Kate pauses the movie "Who?"

I smirk and put my cell back in my pocket. "Rosalie Hale has broken off from the Cullen's and is looking for a place to stay until she gathers her wits."

 **So?**


	13. Chapter 13

The Huntress – Chapter 13

 **Caution: Possible triggers this chapter. Descriptions of Abuse, Violence and a Reference to Rape.**

 **I apologize if you run into any typos or errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters except for Emery**

 **2 Year 7 month Time Skip**

 **Emery's POV**

After 2 solid years with the Amazon Coven the girls and I decided to travel. We couldn't be stronger as a unit. I am officially the Alpha over Leah and Bella. After the first year Bella was conformable enough with her Were side that she wanted to make the bonds permanent. What surprised me was Leah had decided as well. She had finally accepted that one day her wolf would demand it. And she didn't want to follow anyone else. The last year in the Amazon was spent improving unit movements, fighting styles and powers as a pride. We would go thru different complex practice war games against the three ancients.

After the first six months in the Rainforest things got interesting. Leah and Bella attended sessions with the three vampires and myself improving their various skills. But one day Leah had a personal break thru or breakdown depending on how you look at it. She and Zafrina were at each other's throats until finally they snapped. We heard the arguing and came to break it up as per usual but what we found were the two enjoying some very rigorous anger sex. It made for some awkward bed times in an open aired environment. They both knew that they weren't mates but that didn't mean they couldn't find enjoyment in the other.

Currently the three of us are roaming in Northern Canada. Leah wanted to get out of the tropical climate. We have been exploring the territory in our animal forms with our packs attached since arriving back in North America. Everything was going so well unit we hit the trail of a mixture of were-creatures. They are probably a half a day ahead and carrying a load. But the most alarming thing is the presence of a thick stench of fear that is mixed in the trail.

I signal the girls to my side " _Do you both smell that? This doesn't bode well for whomever they are dragging. I want to check it out. I have a feeling whomever is leaving this much fear scent is in grave trouble."_

 _"They are slowed down. We can make up the distance in no time. What do you both think?"_

Bella responds that someone could be hurt. Leah was down for investigating. " _Expect trouble. Bella wrap your shield around us. Remember to suppress all scents. I want to surprise them if we do end up fighting_."

With that we head out. A few hours later we were getting closer judging by the smell and sound up a head. We have the advantage of it being night time and downwind of the group. When we finally get a view of 5 adult males in human form and in various states of undressed. And three children linked together by chains. Two girl's preteen age if younger, both are naked with a young boy in a ratty shirt.

Poachers. They pick off singles or small groups of shifters and other were-creatures. These children wouldn't be thrown in fighting pits like I was. They would be used for breeding or some other form of horrendous entertainment. Most well established prides or packs hunt down any poachers in their territory but if the area is unclaimed it allows these groups free range. Several times the poaching network has been hunted. They'll make up little hubs or squatting locations to setup a trade route and as soon as the trade has been complete they break it up and move locations. You can take down as many hubs just for others to pop up the next day. This has always told me that someone with the knowledge and power must be behind the poachers but I could never prove it.

A plan starts forming in my head

" _I am not leaving those three kids_. _If we are going to do this it's got to be fast."_ I can feel the outrage and hatred come thru the link. I add wrath to the link. " _Bella I want you in your true Were form to come from the East. Come in high. Leah you're going to come in from behind the kids and guard them. I am going to come straight to the main group from the West. We hit them hard and as one. Not to wound but to kill. Do you both understand?"_

I change into my true-were form as well. I want the advantage of having both of my clawed hands available at the same time. Once Bella and Leah alert me that they are in position. I wait for our window. One male starts walking to the girls and the other four remain by the fire egging him on that it was his turn anyways. I wait for him to get about 10 feet away when I drop my signal. Then it all happens in a flash. Bella comes jumping from the trees to the group and takes one out immediately with claws and teeth. Leah had come from behind the kids and latched her teeth to the guy's throat that was closest to them. I roar in slashing biting and smashing everything that is moving in front of me. All I see is red. I slash the first body downwards on his back, with such force that I severed his spine. The second male I shoved my hand into his abdominal cavity, with a yank of my hand, it came with intestines spilling forth and the last one I sunk claws thru his carotid arteries on both sides but I held my fingers in while he looked into my eyes. I shifted into my more humanoid body and with a squeeze and a pull his trachea was ripped out.

All of males are either dead or moments away. I shift back to a complete human form. I instruct Leah to go get the packs to dress the kids. I search the bodies to keys. " _Bella I am going to need you to search for dried wood to burn the corpses. Look for any identification on the bodies, this includes markings and gear."_ I find the keys in the pocket of the man closest to the girls. I move slowly to the girls. Projecting calm and safety. In a softest voice I can muster right now " _Hi. My name is Emery. I am the alpha of this little pride of women_ " I give them a small smile. " _The wolf is Leah and the Leopard is Bella. Can I come closer to unchain you?"_ The oldest girl nods her head. I slowly make my way to them and get her loose first followed by her sister and finally the little boy. All three of them are covered in body fluids I care not to name.

I hand them the clothes that Leah has provided. I send her over to help Bella and tell her we need to get out of here quickly once I get the kids settled. Before I can turn back I hear "What are you going to do too us?"

" _They were poachers weren't they? Did they take you for breeding or entertainment?"_ The oldest is now dressed in an oversized sweatshirt and blue jeans. The other two children are huddled around her back. She looks down with dead eyes "Both. They used us for both." I grind my teeth and turn my body to show my brand " _I was once captured too but I was able to escape after just over a year. No one in my pride will harm the three of you. Is there some family that you wish to go too?"_

The eldest shakes her head and sinks back to the younger one "Our family wasn't part of a pride. Our father didn't like the hierarchy structure that he experienced. They came in the middle of the night and killed our parents quickly and…" I slowly place a hand on top of hers giving her the chance to pull away. " _Take your time. What are your names_?" She squeezes my hand, holding it with both of hers as an anchor "I'm Sara, this is Morgan and Chris." I send small smiles to each of them. " _I just need to know if these were the only ones that you've seen and do you know where they were going to end up taking you?"_ She clears her throat and looks away "They were the only ones. They didn't say where we were going, if anywhere."

I reach over and grab my pack with my available arm. I open the compartment with a fresh water container and nuts and berries that I use for snacks. I hand the items over to Sara. " _I need to go talk to Leah and Bella for a moment okay. And then all of us are going to get out of here."_

I stand and head over to my pride. Not letting my anger slip thru at the situation these kids have had to endure. They have the bodies all gathered up together. Leah looks over at the kids than me "I put all of the items into my pack and taken photos of all of the pack marks and brands on each body." I lock my jaw " _Then we have everything we need from the bodies?"_

Bella comes over to me "Yes there is nothing else to look at." I smirk " _Good_ " I then raise my hand and use my gift of flame to ignite the bodies. In a few moments there will be nothing but ash. " _We need to get the kids to a safe haven ASAP. I don't want to be out in the open with the three of them, if any friends come looking for this bunch. We don't have time to find a place from scratch. Today would be best so we can look after any medical needs the kids have. I don't know of any pack or pride this far north_."

Bells is pondering something and chewing her lip. "We are close to Alaska, right?" Leah is the one to respond "Yeah it's a few hours run from here" Bella mumbles "The Denali's" Le makes a choke sound "You want to go to the woman that was fucking your fiancé behind your back." She cringes at that "I don't want to but I figure she owes me one, after everything. Knowing the Cullen's they will still be in with the Volturi. We wouldn't have to worry about them. And it's just until we find a place. How long can that take?"

I huff " _I don't like it either. I would usually make this call Bell but it would be you that is mostly affected. Can you handle this? I can't have fighting right away in front of the kids, we need to be as stable as possible."_ She looks at the little boy that still hasn't made a sound "I can do this for them." I get my phone out and shoot a text to my mom asking for the Denali Coven leader's number. That it was an emergency that I would explain later. " _Bell this is your favor you are cashing in. It's going to be more effective coming from you. Tell her it's an emergency. We'll need medical supplies, food and clothing for their age range. And tell her I don't want any men around when we arrive, that it's important."_ I look down and hand Bell the phone. I walk back over to the kids.

" _Hey, we are going to make a run across the border. We have some acquaintances there that have a house. We can get some more food, clothes and patched up. We'll stay there until we figure out what you guys want to do. Does that sound alright? I know you guys are scared but we won't hurt you. It will take some time to get used to us, but we'll be patient."_ Sara grabs onto her siblings "You'll stay will us right, you won't leave?" I scoot closer " _No I am not going anywhere from you guys. I am afraid you three are stuck with me until you choose to leave on your own one day, if ever_." I give her a grin and she gives me a small smile.

I chuckle and look over at Bella who is still on the phone " _I know that you three must be exhausted so you can ride on the back of one of us. I would like to keep all of you together. So the question is do you want to ride a wolf, leopard or lion?"_ Morgan peaks at me "You, we'll stay with you."

" _Okay that sounds like a plan_." I wink at her. Bella is now off the phone and walks up behind me. "It's all set. She agreed pretty quickly in fact." I look back at the kids " _Have you guys ever seen vampires or know about them?"_ Sara shakes her head "We have never seen them but our Dad told us about them. They feed off humans and to be weary." I explain that our acquaintance our in fact vampires and veggie vamps at that. I don't want the kids to go thru any more surprises than they have to. I tell Bella to carry the packs and lead ahead. Leah will take up the rear and make sure no one is following us. She is also the fastest so if she spots trouble she can catchup if needed. I tell the girls to have Sara sit in back with Chris in the middle and Morgan in front. I shift into my Lioness form and lay in front of them.

We should get there around dawn.

 **Tanya's POV**

I haven't been able to find any trace of my mate for over two years. Until tonight, out all of the people I expected to call it wasn't Bella Swan. She requested sanctuary for a few days. I immediately assumed that my mate was gravely injured. But once she made her requests I realized that it was a different type of horror. I readily agree to place them with us for as long as they needed. Once I was off the phone I told my coven and Rosalie what was headed our way and sent everyone out to prepare. I asked Eleazar to stay at a cabin on the property for the time being. He understood. A few hours later we head outside and wait at the front of the house. The sun is completely risen now. After 30 minutes we hear light yet fast movement headed our way. We all tense up. I have positioned myself at the front.

A sleek Leopard is the first to appear and starts circling the property. A couple of minutes later the one I have been waiting for arrives. The only word I can describe her as is stunning. Once I register her I take in what she is carrying. She has a pack between her teeth but what really caught my attention is the three children on her back. Rosalie hisses low and my sister's growl at the state of the children. Emery slowly lays on the ground the children are looking our way cautiously but not making eye contact and climb off Emery's back so her Lion form is positioned between us and them. The older girl tucks the little boy into her side. While the other girl moves closer to Emery who is in the process of transitioning back to a human appearance.

As Emery stands I notice all of the dried blood across her body. She bends to grab a pair of shorts and t-shirt out of the bag. All three children seem to gravitate closer to her for protection. When she dresses which I didn't even take a peek at. My instincts are simmering on low due to the emergency at hand. She holds out a hand to each of the girls and they take it immediately. Emery walks forward until she is a few paces in front of me. I meet her dark blues and see the tiredness and fury. " _Denali's allow me to introduce Sara, Morgan and Chris. They are under my protection. I thank you for allowing us sanctuary in our time of need. The leopard you all know although not in her current form is Bella. A wolf will be joining us shortly is Leah, she is ensuring that we weren't followed_." I quickly introduce my coven and Rosalie.

" _If you wouldn't mind could you allow us to get cleaned first and the kids started on something to eat. Before I explain in a little more detail what has happened."_ I lead Emery and the kids thru and to a guest room with an attached bathroom. The clothing is already placed onto the bed. Emery kneels and tells the kids to go ahead and get clean up and once they are done to call her or come down stairs. She informs them that she is going to get a shower of her own across the way. She closes the door behind her. " _Thank You Tanya."_ I shivered when she said my name but now is not the time "Are you injured?" She looks at me funny until I glance at the dried blood " _O, it isn't mine_ " she lets the statement hang in the air. I point to another bathroom a couple doors down. And with that I head down to the rest of my family.

A short time later Carmen heads to the kitchen to start cooking breakfast for all of the human food eaters. And Irina has gathered the medical supplies and put it into the study downstairs. Within 15 minutes I hear Emery making her way down stairs freshly showered.

She strolls her way to us and sits down and explains the poaching organization and how it works after some hesitation. She then goes on to explain how they found the children and killing the men. Rosalie states the question that none of us want to voice "Did they…" she stares into Emery's eyes pleading with her to understand or tell her no. " _Yes, from what I can tell all 3 of them have been violated in that manner based off the smell and fluids that were on them when I first walked close to them. Sara seems to have bared the brunt, she is just around the age to start breeding without actually knowing her age yet_." Rose, Irina, Kate and myself let out growls having had to experience such things in our human life. And to commit such acts onto children takes a different kind of monster.

Irina comes out of the haze first "Is Sara with child? Did they succeed?" Emery shakes her head and looks up at the ceiling " _I hope not but I won't know until she is cleaned up. I will have to scent her it's a pretty good indicator_." We hear Bella and whom I assume Leah coming into the front door. I take in Bella's new figure, you can also tell she has matured in the last few years. Leah is close behind her and scans the room. Her eyes stop on Kate and freezes. I turn to look at Kate and notice her jaw dropped and eyes widen. The whole room is waiting for them to react when we hear the shower stop upstairs.

Kate starts forming a large grin onto her face. This Leah still appears shell shocked and is just staring at her. Emery slides up to Leah and is looking up the stairs. " _Le, this is big for you_ " and inclines her head to Kate " _Why don't you two head outside and scot the perimeter and talk."_ I couldn't be happier for my sister to finally find her mate after so long. Just being in Emery's presence makes my undead heart flutter. When they are heading out the door I hear the girl Sara call for Emery.

Irina grabs me by the arm "Did Kate just find her mate?" I smirk "It would appear so." I glance over at Bella who is looking at the closed door. "Bella if I could have a moment I would like to talk to you and clear the air. If that would be alright?" Bella is standing ramrod straight and looks at me with narrow eyes "That would be fine. Where do you want to have this talk? I assume not in front of everyone. And I don't want to cause a scene in from of the kids."

I indicate for her to follow me to the down stairs study. As the door shuts I turn to her "I owe you an apology. There was no excuse for my behavior with Edward but I wish to explain myself. But by no means does that make what I did right by you." I go on to explain the decades before when the flirting and put downs started and Edward first coming to me. I told her all about what followed and why I let it all continue.

Bella stands there with her fists clenched and eyes squeezed shut "I am not going to say that I agree with anything that you have done. All of you vampires think that you are superior to everyone else. Even you a vegetarian vamp that supposedly values human life. You take what you feel you want with no regard for anyone else. I place the blame of my failed relationship and all the lies on Edward because he was the one I was dating but you knew and continued. I don't like you. I think you're two faced. But I will remain civil for Leah and those kids. I have a feeling we are going to be here for more than a couple of days now." And with that she walked out of the study. That could have gone better but what did I really expect. I am going to have to prove myself to Bella before I win over Emery completely and make her fully mine.

 **Emery's POV**

The kids were all dressed and washed. I lead them back downstairs towards the kitchen. The one named Carmen, Irina and Rosalie are waiting for us. I feel the kids move closer to me, Morgan has grabbed onto the back of my shirt. Its natural self-preservation really. They feel safest with me right now, so they will look to me for protection and comfort.

I look and see that they have cooked practically every breakfast dish they could in the time that the kids were upstairs until now. I turn to Sara " _What would you guys like?"_ I start preparing a plate when Sara whispers "Emery, Chris is going to have problems?" I give her a questionable look and inspect lil Chris. He appears underweight like the rest and I haven't heard him make a sound yet. "They…" she chokes back a cry and pulls Chris into her side with Morgan still standing next to her. " _Hey, look at me Sara_." I wait for her to make eye contact " _I was waiting until after eating but I am going to have to take a look now. I need to treat any existing wounds. So why don't we head to the other room so I can treat Chris and see what is going on_." She has her face cast down and nods. I look up at the vampires in the room " _Where did you guys set up the medical supplies?"_

Rosalie has been watching every move the kids made and speaks up "We prepared everything in the study just down the hall." Her eyes have darkened since she first saw the children. " _Come on guys_ " I see Bella leaving the study area and she is just about to talk when I interrupt her " _I need to treat the kids before eating. Why don't you get something to eat? I think the less people the better_." She places her hand on my shoulder and smiles at Sara "You are in good hands with my sister."

I open the door to the study and surprised to see Tanya standing there. I inform her of my intentions and she gets ready to leave " _Actual Tanya can you stay and give the kids a little information about vampires. You lot are the first they've met_." I then whisper " _I am going to need them to have as much of a distraction as possible. Vampires are new to them. I may also need help during the assessment._ " Sara, Morgan and Chris sit on the couch that was in the room. I bring over a foot stool so I can sit in front of them. I start with Chris after some purring and reassurance that everything would be fine I was able to start. He has scratches and bit marks littering his legs, back, and the back of his neck area. I clean out all of the wounds. And position him in front of me. I start running small circles between his shoulder blades. " _Now buddy, I am going to have to take a look inside of your mouth. Is that going to be alright?"_ He freezes up and pears over at his sisters. Sara has tears in her eyes and gives him the go ahead. Tanya has been trying to keep the girls attention but she now has her full gaze on us as well. I slowly put my hand onto his chin and apply a gentle pressure to let him know to open. And when he finally does I can't fight back the rumble that builds up in my chest. He starts quivering. I can't help it I pick him up and hug him to me and start purring to calm us both down.

Tanya slowly walks our way and I look up into her eyes " _His tongue. They cut out his tongue_." She stands still for a moment and regains herself. " _Did you know if the alpha is powerful enough and so inclined they can help with the regenerative process of another? It works best if it is another member of its own pride or pack but it can be done. It just takes more out of the alpha and will require more rest_." I don't know who I am talking to at this point. I am so enraged. I wish I killed those poachers slowly over the span of days or weeks. What I already knew was enough for me to kill them ten times over. But to cut out a small child's tongue so he wouldn't be able to even cry out was the last straw for today. But as I am sitting there talking about boasting someone else's healing process I place hand on his throat and jaw and concentrate. It takes longer than I care to admit but I start to feel the spark of repair take place just under my hand. Chris has now borrowed deeper in my chest and is matching my purrs. He is just about to nod off when I take a look into his mouth and see his tongue has reformed.

I adjust Chris and place him so he is laying with his sisters and move on to my next assessment. This is going to be a long and slow healing process for everyone involved. Not just physical but mental and emotional. With Leah mated to Kate we are now strapped with a coven of vampires that have a rocky history with us.

So?


	14. Chapter 14

The Huntress – Chapter 14

 **I apologize if you run into any typos or errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters except for Emery**

 **Emery's POV**

With the assessments complete all of the children's physical ailments were treated. Other than cleaning certain wounds there wasn't a lot I could do. The kid's healing factor had done a majority of the work already. The bite and claw marks had already scarred over so now the three would have physical reminders of their life in captivity of those animals. It was the physiological effects that had me most worried. We found out that Sara was thirteen, Morgan nine and lil Chris 3. Both girls took after their parents and changed into mountain lions with some slight color variations. Chris still hadn't shifted yet which gave me some pause but it was a question for later.

I cleaned up the medical supplies and ushered the kids back to the kitchen for some food. Tanya had spent a majority of the time telling the girls about vampirism and her coven. Lil Chris stuck close to me after I had cradled him. Young cubs can find the presence of an alpha especially a female alpha soothing and I am glad I can give them some comfort in that way.

Upon reaching the kitchen area I saw that the food was spread out with the plates already arranged. I gestured for the kids to take a seat but no one moved. I turn back to them when Sara spoke up "We are not allowed to start until you are done." She was staring at the food longingly while she said this.

" _Is that how things were ran in your house hold?"_

Morgan shuffles her feet and glances at me "Father, wouldn't let us eat until he was finished. And Chris got whatever scraps we left behind."

The vampires in the room seem to take issue with this not understanding the dominance play their father was pulling upon his own children. It wasn't uncommon for packs to perform such actions to show their own superiority over what they viewed the weaker members. And there was a hierarchy to it as well. Depending on the feed order you could tell the value of each member.

" _I see. I don't hold such rules in my pride. We eat together at meals. I start and finish with everyone else. There will be plenty of food. You can eat as much as you like."_ As I say this I pick Chris up and make my way to the table. The girls follow me. I sit at the head of the table with Chris in my lap. Bella starts filling everyone's plate with a little bit of everything. The girls sit on the right side of me with Bella on the left. I grab an extra set of silverware and hand Chris a spoon. I cut everything up into small pieces on my plate and look over to the girls to start eating. It took some time to get Chris to start eating, the hunger won out and in the end we were both eating from my plate. I made sure that the plate never went empty while Chris was slowly making his way thru.

" _Sara why hasn't Chris shifted yet?"_ I asked once I was done but still had the little guy on my lap as he was in a world of pancakes and syrup.

She looks up from her eggs and sausage "Father didn't feel he needed to"

" _Huh, was he afraid that he was an alpha?"_

Sara turns to look at Morgan who is still focused on her food "He said that Chris could grow up and over take us like alphas did in his old pride."

I turn my head, thinking over the situation " _Your father was a Beta, but seen as alpha because he was the only male, right?"_ Sara nods "I think so. He didn't smell or feel like you"

I smile at that " _Your dad was right Chris is different than a Beta but he is not an alpha_." I hum into the back of Chris's hair as he leans into me. " _He is an omega_."

The chatter quieted down after that with the children slowly nodding off now that they were all full. Lil Chris is currently curled up in my lap. " _Bella, help me get them upstairs. They can use the rest_." The vampires had slowly migrated to the living room once the children started eating. Leah still hasn't returned with Kate. Not that I'm surprised. They'll have a lot to talk about and will need time together for the bond to settle. Leah wouldn't want to share Kate's time or attention with anyone else right now.

When we get to the guest room that the kids showered in earlier I settled them altogether in the bed and told them to call out to us if they needed anything.

The planning of what we need to accomplish has to start. Bella and I make our way to the living room with the rest of the vampires. Once I settle into a loveseat next to Bella I close my eyes and let my head fall back " _Who wants to start?"_

Bella huffs "With Leah imprinting on a member of this coven it has limited our options." She looks around the room "We originally only planned on spending a few days. That obviously is out the window now."

I pinch the bridge of my nose and look up to Tanya " _As coven leader will you allow us to stay until we acquire lodgings close by. We will not be able to go far with the newly bonded pair. And I will not abandon Leah."_

Tanya straightens up and has a shine to her eyes "We would be more than happy to accommodate your pride for as long as you need it. You can even just stay here or another cottage on the property." I incline my head in thanks " _That will have to be something I discuss with the rest of my pride before a decision is made_."

Rosalie shifts forward in her seat. She had been chomping at the bit for a while now "What about the children?"

" _The kids will stay with us. Their parents were killed and the father wasn't associated with any pride. So they have no ties. It would be dangerous to send them out into the world. A temporary pride bound has already formed for each. This will not be permeate until they reach of age and make the decision of whether to become a member or go out into the world."_

I clear my throat " _They will need support. And if we are to stay here that includes this coven. The physical damage is healing but the damage to their psyche will be a never-ending process to repair what was done_."

My attention was pulled to Irina "Carmen and I have multiple degrees in psychology and I know that Rosalie has always been involved on child development over the years."

" _That is good, you know the theory but this will be different than most other cases. To put that knowledge into practice will be hard but I would be grateful for any help you can provide. The kids are also going to have to get over a traumatic pack dynamic. And it sounds like the home life they had before was also oppressing_." I look at the vampires in the room to gage their reactions.

Rosalie seems to want to be the most involved. Bella once told me that all she wanted in her human life was to have a happy marriage and children of her own. "I noticed that. Why did he treat his own children like that?" Her eyes have darkened just thinking about the mistreated of the three upstairs.

" _It was a power play on his part. It kept them all submissive to him. Have you noticed that none of the children make eye contact? Unless I directly talk to them and even I have to wait until they have the courage to look up. He was not born an alpha or grew up into the position. It sounds like he left a pride before with bitter feelings. Most likely he wasn't allowing Chris to change because he was afraid of losing that leadership position. The father could tell that Chris was different but unless you have smelled an omega before you wouldn't have known unless he presented himself. Chris got lucky. Most of the males like his father and a majority of them are alpha's would kill any boys born just to maintain the status without any future challengers."_

Carmen put a hand over her chest "They would kill their own sons?"

" _Yes some do. But a majority don't have the chance. Females are the direct opposite we would do anything to protect our cubs. If the mate of a male alpha became pregnant with a son. She typically leaves her pride to a safe place or even stays with a sister pride until after the child is born and grows up. She will only return once she knows that her cub is safe in the presence of her mate. Beta males don't have such a high drive to squash any rival sons_."

A sneer makes its way onto Rosalie's face "Some people shouldn't have the right to have children." I can't really disagree with her on that one.

Tanya refocuses us "You said that Chris was an omega why does that have any significances?" I scratch the back of my neck and decide to give them a general description " _Omega's are rare especially a male omega. They can aid the mood of the overall pack or pride. An omega is more docile than everyone else. We would have to keep him the most protected. He will never start a fight or go for the killing blow unless it was a threat to his mate. Most omega's hold the position of mediators or healers. An omega's role is also important when members enter in there heat or rut cycles. They release pheromones that would promote fertility or just ease the cycle with his presence in the link. Because of their docile nature most omega's get mistreated and step over. They are seen as the weakest member in a pride by most. But really the station of an omega is just as important as any other if not more."_

I look to Bells " _Speaking of heat. Do not be surprised if Leah starts hers in the next few years now that she is mated_."

Bella cringes and I laugh. Irina snickers "Why would she? She mated to a female and vampire at that."

I clear my throat " _Well we start our cycle when we find our mate and our bodies decide it's aligned with the other and wishes to procreate_."

The vampires look to me like I am stupid. Tanya clears up the looks with her next statement "But she is mated to another female. And a vampire at that. She would never be able to have an offspring with Kate."

Aw I see the confusion " _I don't know what the extent of Leah's heat cycle will be because there is not too many female shifters that I have talked to. But I know that if I was mated to a female vampire, I would be able to impregnate or become pregnant with our offspring_."

It was like I dropped a bomb off into the room. Every vampire was looking at me like I just grew another head. Tanya is looking at me with pitch black eyes and Rosalie leans forward "How?"

This is taking a turn that I didn't see coming " _Well when you four become sexually arouse you become wet right? Don't answer that I already know. The female vampire's body is frozen however you are still able to secrete cum. If I was truly mated to a female vampire I would be able to align my genetic mapping with her. If her body was particularly responsive to me and my pheromones I would rut her and impregnate. The child in her womb would reactive some of her body functions while pregnant, she would feed more often usually from myself to sustain herself and our offspring. If I chose to carry then my body would be able to take her cum and use that as the genetic material to become pregnant_."

Tanya is purring from her corner of the couch. I raise my eyebrow and look over at her and stop. She was giving me her hungry eyes. Irina clears her throat "So the child would be what a hybrid?"

I shake my head " _No, the child would be Were. The genetic material we would take is the vampire's human genome. If the venom was allow the child would be an immortal child. My Were-Lion would override any venom in the gestation process. And only pick traits from the human left over genes. But as I said the vampire would have to be my true mate. The Were virus would be present but it would pretty much use the human genetic makeup to scrabble a few things, this would ensure that the child was Were. The child could inherit the looks, personality and physical stature of the vampire parent."_

 **Tanya's POV**

I can't help but purr just thinking about carrying a child with my mate. While I was human I had become pregnant with the child of the nobleman I was sold to. But I miscarried due to the conditions back then. I couldn't help but feel relieved at the time. It was bad enough that I was sold into his household but to bring his bastard child in the world. There would have been no protection for the child nor future and I wasn't in a position to provide one. I was only 16 at the time. After the miscarriage I started taking herbs that a women in the kitchen would provide so I couldn't become pregnant again.

Irina picks up the thread "So what your saying is we could have lil Kate's running around?" Emery coughed " _It's possible. Leah is a shifter which is a mutation of the Were virus. Shifters are a result of Were-Human breeding but diluted down over generations, which laid dormant in her case. For me once I had completed my mate bond I would go into a heat or rut soon after to get kind of a feeler of my mates fertility and genetic material. It would take years, decades or even centuries for our bodies to sync up to the point that I could produce offspring with a vampire female. But with Leah being a shifter it could take longer or possibly not at all. It would really depend on her and her wolf_."

Rosalie shakes her head "Did those bastards succeed in breeding Sara?" Emery clenches her jaw " _No, Sara has not had a heat cycle yet. With all of the bite makes on the kids especially Sara, the males were trying to induce a heat by force. But her body was able to fight it off subconsciously. Us Were's by choice would only ever breed with our mates. However a forced pregnancy could happen like what the poachers were trying to do with Sara. Or if a Were was so old and not had a mating bond the instinct to have an offspring would be to strong and they would find the next best candidate like in the case of my mother_."

We need to get back to the topic at hand "What do we need to provide for the children?" Those dark blues lock onto my golds " _Since we have all come to the conclusion that we are now bound together as a pride and coven, can we all agree to do what is best for the kids in the immediate future?"_

I look around the room to my coven members and they all nod their heads in agreement. I know Kate would do her best to help the children as well. Even when we fed on humans we stayed away from children and most women. Our primary victims were males. "I can say on behalf of my coven that we will do what we can to aid the children in healing process."

Emery and Bella seem to be in silent communication " _Most likely the kids are going to have to be taught things about the human world as well. History, math, social interactions, and modern technologies. Usually secluded families like they came from wouldn't have seen that as a priority. We will have to support them in their psychological rebuild as well. I don't think the captivity has fully hit the girls yet. Remember these are not human children either. They may appear as such most of the time but they will have more of an animalistic drive at times."_

"What do you mean animalistic drive?"

Emery leans forward " _The three of them would still be considered cubs. Once they become comfortable they will become more affectionate, probably starting with me, then the rest of my pride and finally your coven by extension. Just think of a wild cat turned house cat. Cheek rubs, nips, scent makings, cuddles that sort of affection. All three will have things to learn about being Were-cats and my pride will handle that. They will have to go thru conditioning with us to get them up to par and stronger. Leah and Bella will start working with the girls soon. But I will be working with Chris as soon as possible. Usually he would be on the verge of controlling the shifting forms of himself by now. However he has not shifted once. This can cause problems later down the road if it is not addressed_."

" _Having some sort of schedule will help. The kids will eventual need the structure to hold onto and this can help make them comfortable if they know what to expect each day. I would like all of us to work with them if possible. They need the variety even if it is someone showing them how to make coffee or mow the lawn. Typically an entire pride would work together to raise a cub. I have a small pride but with Leah being mated to Kate your coven has now fallen under my umbrella. I would do anything to protect Kate because she is now Leah's mate."_

I am disappointed that my mate didn't feel the need to include my coven because of being my mate but Kate being Leah's. But I have to wrestle that urge in. She still doesn't feel the bond. Little does she know that this coven would do anything to protect her and her family because of my devotion? I would murder anyone that threatened to lay a hand on her.

The group of us discuss the schedule for the kids. We plan to have it ready for once the kids awake. I can see Emery is exhausted so I wrap up the meeting quickly. Soon after Bella and Emery head up to guest rooms next to the kids.

Irina sits next to me "So, how are you adjusting?" I huff "I don't know. I want to hold her in my arms most of the time. Every sound, move and smell she makes I am just hyper aware of everything. It's going to drive me crazy until she is finally mine."

Rina pats my thigh "She is here now. You can start working towards that." Rosalie looks up to the ceiling "I wanted change from the Cullen's and I sure got it. It must be a family trait with the Swan's. The ability to sniff out trouble where ever they go. Things are going to be interesting from here on out."

I couldn't agree more.

 **So, thoughts?**


	15. Chapter 15

The Huntress – Chapter 15

 **I apologize if you run into any typos or errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters except for Emery**

 **This Chapter is more of a filler. We see relationships start to develop and hit snags. And the new members starting to get into a routine.**

 **Emery's POV**

Two weeks after arriving at the Denali Coven has been a challenge. The kids have had trouble sleeping thru the night. The girls have stuck together but lil Chris has pretty much attached himself to my side. On the second night he snuck into my room and has been sleeping curled up in my bed since, he'll wait until I lay down for the night and come crawling under the covers. The kids still refuse to make simple eye contact with any of the vampires and are extremely weary of Eleazar.

Bella and Leah have started training with the girls, well at least when you can pry Leah from Kate long enough. We have decided to stay at the main Denali house until we are positive no one is going to track us back to this location. I think it's unlikely given the time span and weather conditions over the last two weeks.

The vampires have pitched in when they could. The kids have yet to really respond to all of them. They have been open to Kate but I think that has more to do with her being Leah's mate. Kate has taken it upon herself to introduce the kids to movies, junk food, games, and the internet. The girls are also more interactive with Tanya due to the first day.

I have been awake for about 10 minutes with a little body curled into my hip. I am trying to find the motivation to get out of bed for the day. I have a plan to get Chris shifted today. I think we have formed a strong enough link to get it to work.

With that in mind I rise from the bed and head to the bathroom to get ready.

Once I am showered and dressed for today I head back to the lump in bed. I lean over his body and whisper " _Rise and shine lil guy_." After a few moments of grumbling from the lump he finally peaks his head out of the covers. I give him a smile and open my arms " _Come lil cub. Let's go get breakfast_." Just at the promise of food he springs up into my arms. I spin him around on our way to the door. I hear both girls starting to get ready as well. And it sounds like Leah will be preoccupied with Kate this morning from all of the moans and snarls coming from down the hall.

On our way to the kitchen I see Carmen already preparing food. Rosalie was in the living room going over a car magazine. Eleazar sounds like he is in the study. Bella and Irina I haven't seen but I have a feeling Tanya is around here somewhere. I head straight for the fridge to get a drink but Carmen beats me to it. She already has orange juice and milk prepared for Chris. I give her a nod _"Can you tell Carmen 'Thank You' Bud?"_ I rub his back for encouragement and he whispers out a small "Dank You". Carmen's face lights up "Your very welcome Chris"

I take the sippy cup of milk and hand it to Chris and take my glass of juice to the table. As we sit at the table I notice that Chris's attention is drawn over to Rosalie or more specifically the car on the cover of her magazine. " _Do you know what that is buddy?"_ With his focus still on the car he shakes his head. " _That's a car. We use it as a mode of transportation. Getting from one place to another. Do you want to take a closer look?"_ I place him on his feet and put my hand onto his shoulder " _I bet if you go over to Rosalie she will let you look at the cars in the magazine."_ He takes my hand and slowly leads us to Rosalie on the couch. She heard the whole interaction from the kitchen but did not look up. She's waiting for him to make his move. When we are within a foot of her, Chris freezes and plasters his body to my leg. " _Rose, Chris here is interested in what cars are. Do you mind showing him?"_ I sit down next to her on the couch and position him between my legs.

Rosalie gives Chris a big smile and starts flipping thru the magazine and explaining the different cars and colors of each. Little by little Chris leaned more and more into Rosalie to getting a better view of the cars. Before long he is sitting between the both of us still mesmerized by the vehicles. This is the closest he has willingly been to any of the vampires. Another ten minutes went by before the growling of his stomach was heard and I ushered him back to the dining area to eat. He didn't even seem aware that he was sitting next to Rosalie. I whisper to Rose " _We might want to get him some toy cars and trucks_."

She nods her head and sets the magazine aside and zips off to another location in the house. Rosalie has been the most anxious for a positive interaction with the kids. So far we have focused on getting all of the kids the necessary items, clothing, books, shoes, supplies for the mock school sessions and anything else they have asked for. The thing is they don't really know what to ask for, it's all still reality new to them. But I could bet she is now purchasing every toy car and truck on the market right now.

Before long all of the food eaters except for Leah are sitting at the table finishing up breakfast when we hear arguing from upstairs headed to the stairwell. All of the kids freeze up. I look around and everyone appears surprised, it seems the honeymoon phase of the newly mated couple has hit its first speed bump. I glance over to Bella and ask " _Can you take the kids into the study? The shouting has made them uncomfortable."_

She huffs out a chuckle before standing "Yeah. Just fill me in later because I bet whatever it is has to be something stupid knowing those two." Bella gets the kids out of the room before Leah comes stomping down the stairs yelling behind her at Kate.

L: "Will you just let it go? It was a long time ago."

K: "I have a right to know. You are my mate."

Leah snarls "No, you don't get to do that." Tanya enters the room and raises her hand in a placated manner. "What is going on with the two of you now?" Leah jabs a finger in Kate's direction "Your sister is being a jealous and possessive asshole." Kate moves herself right in front of Leah, her eyes are blackened and she hisses.

"I have a right to know who has been able to touch my mate." The platinum blonde is practically stomping her foot. The whole room rolls their eyes. Bella called it.

Leah starts laughing at Kates audacity "Right, like I have a right to know everyone that has slept with you. Hell you can't even give me a number and you have the gull to sit here and demand from me. I left it alone because you are what's important to me. I don't care who you slept with as long as it's only me in the future. I already told you I have been intimate with four people. I gave you the names of three. Can't that be enough? I haven't judged you or rode you for answers. Leave it alone!"

Kate crosses her arms and gives a soft growl "Yes I want to know. You told me everyone but you're first. Why? What are you hiding?" I freeze with Kate's response. Shit. Rosalie sees me out of the corner of her eye and raises an eyebrow. Everyone else is to busy trying to stay out of Kate and Leah's way.

A snarl comes from the wolf and her hands clench. "Because very few things are mine in this world and I will not have you taint those memories with your petty jealousy. You might be my imprint but those experiences are mine and I do not regret them."

They continue to go back and forth. Some time passes before the rest of us try splitting them up, the Denali sisters tried steering Kate away to hunt and I tried taking Leah for a run to cool off.

The pot finally boiled over and Leah snapped "FINE! You just have to know right? It will make you feel so much better." She is now stand inches from Kate's face and I cringe with what is about to come out of her mouth.

"My first crush, kiss, fuck, orgasm, secret love have all been one person..." Kate is already growling I would assume from picturing her mate with someone else. But she really did ask for it."…I couldn't keep my hands off of them from 14 to almost 16. They showed me the joys of soft and rough sex. They would pound me so good I could barely walk. This is what you want right. Do you want the details of me begging them too?" Leah is almost growling out each word.

A deep rumble comes from Kate's chest cutting Leah off "WHO?"

Leah turns and is heading to the front door. When she opens the door she tilts her head to answer "Emery. Emery has had all of my firsts and I have had hers. And I am glad it was her. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else especially a selfishly blinded vampire." You could hear a pin drop once Leah walked out. Kate's brain finally kicks into gear and spins towards me. I prepare myself for any physical altercation that could occur, when a sharp, long hiss comes from Tanya as she steps in front of me. They both have crouched down getting ready to attack, when a roar rips from my mouth.

" _Are you kidding me right now? Your mate is alone out there after arguing because you are a dumbass. To top it all off you are going to try and fight me for something that happened nearly a decade ago? Grow the fuck up! You waited over 1000 years for your mate and you treat her like this. Show some respect! Why was it so important for you to know? She is yours now so treat her right."_

Irina steps next to Tanya and says "I would do anything to have a mate. You do. So go fix what you've done Kate instead of wasting time here. If Leah was mine I would cherish her. Go." That seemed to snap her out of it because less than a second she blurs out of the house.

I groan and rub my forehead. I have my eyes closed when Rosalie says "So you and Leah?" I look over at her and she is sitting with her stupid magazine still open with a stupid smirk on her face.

" _It was a long time ago. We grew up together so of course we would have a lot of first experiences together."_ I make my way over to the front window and look out. Tanya has stood from her crouch and is now in the process of studying me. Well that's what she appears to be doing from the reflection of the window. Irina clicks her tongue "Most childhood friends don't sleep together."

I laugh loudly at that " _Actual that is where you are wrong. I have known Leah since before she even started grade school. She was my only true friend in that shit town and I was the only one different like her. She never fit the mold of that reservation. I was the first and only person for a long time that she could turn to. So when we became more aware of our bodies wants and needs it was only nature for us to turn to one another."_ I shrug my shoulders, hoping that ended the conversation.

Carmen must have gone to join Bella in the study with the kids during the fight. I turn and nail the two sisters with a scowl " _Isn't it hypocritical of Kate to demand answers about every past partner when Leah is leaving Kate's sordid history behind_?"

They both give me a funny look " _What you didn't think I wouldn't have done research after the Cullen incident? The famous vampire succubae sisters. Please_."

When Tanya is about to ask another question, I hear the door to the study open and everyone piles out. The kids are looking around Bella's body to see if the coast is cleared. After soothing the girl's worries about the argument and explaining the new mating bond that still needs to work out some quicks we headed outside to get some training in.

I had Sara and Morgan turn into their Mountain Lion forms and sit close to Chris and me. I need him to be as relaxed as possible and having his sisters near should aid in that. The goal is to get him shifting. With that said he'll need practice to do it and a push. I sit Indian style in the back of the property with Chris in my lap facing me. I intensify my gaze with his so he is almost in a hypnotic state. We are surrounded by 3 Were-Cats purring, it has almost put Chris to sleep. With our eyes still locked I give him the push needed to awaken the other part of him. It take several attempts until he chokes on a cry and then it begins. A shift is usually seconds but the first can be slightly prolonged.

The sound of snapping and tearing is proceeded by the start of the process. The shift completes in about 15 seconds. I still have my gaze locked with Chris's green eyes with brown specs. His coat is black to match his usual dark curls. He stayed in the Cougar category like his sisters but where they are Mountain Lion's, Chris would fall under a Black Puma. His coat still has a baby fuzz texture to it, incredibly soft. " _Sara, Morgan take a look at your brother. Ease him into it. Remember be calm and allow him to investigate you both on his own_."

I watch as the three siblings slowly introduce each other. Bella is sitting near the group making sure everyone remains safe. Not to long after the final sniff all three start batting at each other and pulling tails in play. I have a small smile on my face when Tanya slides into the space next to me.

"You got him to shift. He's cute." She is looking at the new Puma with a smirk. I focus on the group when I say " _When were you going to tell me?"_

Tanya opens her mouth and closes it before speaking "I don't know what you mean?"

I stand " _When were you going to tell me, I was your vampire's true mate?"_

 **So any thoughts?**

 **I can tell you I have a mate in mind for one of the single ladies. But who do you want to see as a suitable mate for: Irina, Rosalie and Bella?**


	16. Chapter 16

The Huntress – Chapter 16

 **I apologize if you run into any typos or errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters except for Emery**

 **Tanya's POV**

I stand here stunted. I don't know whether to deny it, apologize or through myself at her feet begging to be loved. She is gazing at me with an unreadable expression. And not for the first time in these weeks together have I wished to know what she is thinking. More so right now.

I choose to be honest "With everything that has happened recently and the circumstances of our first meeting, I didn't think it was appropriate to bring it up. Can you imagine after waiting 1500 years that I meet my mate in such a shameful way? I didn't even take Bella's feelings into account when I continued to carry on my affair with Edward once I found out about her. "

Shaking my head I see that Emery is still guarded but she hasn't walked away so I take that as a sign to continue "There is no reason that could truly do Bella or you justice. Even after years of not feeding directly from humans I am still desensitized to there being, feelings, the core of what they are. Of what memories I have from my human life…it wasn't pleasant. I was used as a toy, and sold off as soon as I was old enough and to the first buyer. A nobleman that was looking for a mistress to be housed in his home for his convenience to do with what he will. So after my great-aunt sired me, I choose to use human men and women. Occasionally I would slate my urges with other vampires. When we were still feeding off humans my sisters and I were aggressive with our lusts. We gave into every base instinct and after Sasha was executed you can say we lost ourselves to those lusts for several years."

Grimacing at the memories I trudge up "Living as long as I have can be incredible lonely. I have been lucky to have my sisters as constant companions but the wish for a mate or someone to take the sting of eternity alone is all that I have craved for centuries. When I first met Edward my coven had already been on a primary animal diet will the occasional human blood for over 300 years. I thought of him as a game just as he later thought of me as a toy to rid himself of his more sexual urges. There was no love there and if I could go back I would. Reflecting on my past it's clear that it is all that I have ever done since becoming a vampire. Trapped in the cycle of being someone's plaything. Even our human victims wanted us for our bodies. Vampires come calling because they want a taste of the succubus nature."

I let out a small cry "I am a sorry excuse of a mate. I can't offer you more than that, only myself for what it is worth. I can only say that I will love and protect you until the stars have been burned out of the sky." I wait with a venom tears shining in my eyes for Emery to discard me like so many others.

A tremor comes across Emery's face and her eyes soften " _I will not judge you for your past. You have lived over a millennia. I do not think you should hold that against yourself either. I have done things myself that are also not so bright when you shine light onto them. To be honest I probably wouldn't have been so upset our first meeting if you had picked any other person's partner to have an affair with. You are not mine. I was angry because it hurt Bella. And no offense you could have done better than Edward Cullen. From what I saw and the things Bella told me, he's not fit to lick the mud off of your boots. You may be trapped in a cycle but you have the power to choose to break it. You have a powerful coven. You have shown kindness, compassion, patience, and genuine care since we have been here_."

I feel a sliver of hope burst in my undead heart at her words but I know she is wrong "That is where you are wrong. I am yours. I became yours the moment I set eyes upon you. There will never be another, you are my one true mate. I will be yours for the rest of my existence even if you don't want me and choose to leave this place. I won't force anything. I will never hurt you. And I know that you can't love me with how and what I am." I turn away. I can't bare for here to see my weakness. Edward and everyone else were right I am only good for one thing. It will be better if I let her go.

Emery grabs my hand. " _Is that what you want? For me to leave here?"_

I go stiff just thinking about it "No, but you deserve better than I." The grip on my hand tightens until I turn to face her. Emery eyes have hardened.

" _You don't get to tell me what I deserve. That is a choice for me to make. But I will tell you is I deserve a partner that will fight for me instead of simply giving up. I need someone strong to carry the burden of forever with me. And if you cannot do that then I guess you are right_." She releases my hand and steps back. I scramble for something to say.

"How could you love someone like me? I would murder anyone that wishes to harm you, always. But I am not naïve enough to wish you to stay here and regret it later…" Emery cuts me off.

" _Love is earned. You haven't even tried to do that. So how would you know whether or not I could love you? You dumbass vampire. A true mate is a mirror reflection of your souls missing piece, which you find in each other. No one else will complete you. The same could be said for my soul as well. I may not feel a bond or love in an instant as you but the truth is that you are my soulmate. What kind of relationship we have depends on us. So what do you want?"_

 **Leah's POV**

Fucking imprinting. I have been running for hours in the forest. Bella relayed what happened in the house after I left. I felt when Chris shifted. And couldn't help but feel proud that he did it. I might have been wrapped up with Kate for these past few weeks but I feel happy that our pride is a little more complete with them now in it. My wolf and I can't help but feel protective when it comes to the 3 youngest and I know the rest of the pride feels the same.

Kate is trailing behind me. She is keeping her distance, trying to give me space but I still can't help the anger simmering just below the surface just thinking about this morning. The wolf has been a whimpering mess since the fight. Wanting to go back to its mate and curl around her. Instinct had me rushing into this and that is biting me in the ass. Boundary lines need to be set.

With that thought I come to a gradual stop in the middle of the forest. I huff and change back to my human self. Once I am standing fully naked amongst the trees, I hear the leaves crunch under her footsteps. When I am about to speak I feel her cold arms wrap around me. It would be so easy to give into her and my wolf. I can't make that mistake again, I need to get a hold of myself.

It's hard but I find the will to open and step out of her steel traps. "Don't touch me right now. We need to really talk for once and I would like to be heard."

As I look into her bright gold eyes I can see the remorse shining thru. It almost make me hesitate and swallow my words "I think we rushed into this. We allowed our beasts to take over and dictate how the pace was set."

Kate takes a small step forward and has both hands raised with her palms out "If this is about this morning. I just want to say I am sorry. You were right I shouldn't have demanded like that. I should have left it alone like you asked."

I shake my head and look at my feet. I know I won't be able to say this to her face "I think we should slow down. We jumped into this with both feet. Hell we were fucking not even an hour after meeting. I forgot myself. I allowed the wolf's needs to claim to completely take over my own needs as well."

Will a sharp intake Kate freezes up "You can't leave me. I wouldn't be able to exist without you…" I cut her off by placing my hand on her cheek. I can see the frightening look in her eyes.

"I don't want to end anything. I just want to continue slowly. So we can get to know each other. Not just our beasts. But I want to know Kate and you to know Leah. Is that so unreasonable?"

She places her hand on top of mine and I feel her thumb make small circles on my wrist. "No, that is not unreasonable. It may make me cranky but I will go as slow or fast as you like. I would do anything for you. And I am truly sorry about this morning. I allowed my jealously to cloud my judgement and acted out. It was driving me nuts and I couldn't let it go when I should have."

I laugh and nod "It was unfortunate. It happened a long time ago for me. Kate if this is going to work I need you to understand Emery is a big part of my life and I love her…" I see Kate's eyes darken and her lips thin before I hastily add "…that doesn't mean I am in love with her. Once upon a time that was a different case but that was back then. There is only one person that I'm in love with and that is you. It will always be you."

Kate takes a couple of long unnecessary breaths "I understand the rational side gets it but the vampire instincts are driving me and I feel like melting myself to you until there is no one that you have ever thought of."

"Kate, how do you think I feel? You told me yourself you couldn't even guess how many people you have been with…" Kate is about to interrupt when I continue "…yes you told me none of them mattered. But I find it hard to believe that you held no affection for every single one. There had to be someone. I will probably experience the same level of jealous in the future and get territorial especially if an ex shows up. Can you honestly say that out of all of your conquests, you didn't feel anything for all of them?"

She looks into my eyes with determination "No, I had cared for a few but I never loved any of them. Some were better than others…" She kicks at the leaves on the forest floor before peering up at me like a scolded child "I will try harder to think more rationally when instincts rev up. I can't promise that I will succeed all of the time because I am crazy about you…" She takes and holds my hand "Where does this leave us?"

I start walking to the house with her hand in mine "I think this means you take me on a proper date. Yes we are mates fully claimed. But I would like to start dating to get to know you. We'll take it from there."

Kate gives me a shy smile that turns into a look of lust when she looks me up and down. Before she can pounce on me I shift into my wolf and hightail it back to the house. This is how it always starts and ends with us. Stupid lusty vampire. I can hear Kate laugh as she chases me. Damn. This is going to be hard.

 **So?**


	17. Chapter 17

The Huntress – Chapter 17

 **I apologize if you run into any typos or errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters used in this story except for Emery**.

 **Emery's POV**

As I stand there waiting for Tanya to give me some sort of reply I gather my thoughts. Am I against a mating bond between myself and Tanya? Not necessary. She has shown herself to be versatile since we have been here. She is a strong coven leader who knows when to be serious and is willing to lighten up. I know a brief history of her background from mom but not everything is contained in Volturi files. I do know she will be sorely mistaken if she thinks I will just eventually give into her though.

I see Irina making her way to us from the house. Tanya seems to notice her presence as well because she has started softly growling. Irina slows down when I place a hand on Tanya's shoulder " _I don't need an answer now Tanya. Take you time to figure out what you really want. Fair warning I will not be easy._ "

I start walking over to the cubs and Bella. Sara looks over in our direction in her Mountain Lion form when I hear a raddling rumble from behind me. I turn around to see Irina has locked eyes with Sara. Tanya must have registered it as well because she moves in front of Irina to break the contact. Sara has her ears pressed to her head and has crouched low.

I wave over to Bella just to get her attention " _Stay outside with the cubs. I will be back shortly_." Bells does her best to nod in her Leopard form. I speed walk over to the vampire sisters and place a steel grip on an arm of both of them and say " _Inside now."_

Irina puts up a little resistance not wanting to leave the area but I wasn't letting go. Once I herd them both into the house I release them " _What the hell was that?"_

T: "I think Irina just found her mate."

I look at Irina who has a sorrowful yet hopeful twinkle in her eye " _Was that the first time you made eye contact? I thought vampires are also drawn to the smell and appearance. How could you not realize the connection until now?"_

I: "I felt drawn to all of the little ones since they have been here. Given the circumstances I just wanted to help them. I haven't really been focusing too much on her smell or looks, they are just children so it hasn't even crossed my mind."

This could make bad situation worse if not handled with care and time.

E: " _You do understand she is far too young. And with everything that has gone on recently she will need years of therapy and care to even come close to having a relationship when she comes of age_."

In the middle of my sentence Rosalie walks into the room "What are you guys talking about?"

Tanya barely spares Rose a glance "Irina has found her mate in Sara." Rose eyes darken and she glares into Irina's very core "No".

This causes Irina to stiffen "What do you mean NO? You have no say in who is or isn't my mate."

E: " _Everyone just calm down for a minute. Irina what are your intentions with Sara? How are you going to go forward from here? I take it you aren't going to try and do something stupid like ignore the bond, right?"_

I: "Of course I am not going to ignore the bond. But I don't see her in a sexual way if that is what you mean. I suppose that will come in the distant future. Since looking into her eyes the only urge that I have is to protect her. It broke my heart knowing what happened to them before, now I just want to go out and find whomever has ever laid a hand on her and kill them very slowly."

I process this information as quickly as possible. The cubs can't stay outside forever " _This could work. If your main concern is her protection then this will work. I have heard of vampires finding there mate in human children before. Most of them were driven by the instinct to protect and guide their young mates."_

Rosalie looks at me like I am crazy "You're going to let her be around Sara after this?"

E: " _Yes. Sara is Irina's true mate. Because of that Irina could never hurt her. With Sara being young and vulnerable her instincts have already realigned to adjust to Sara's needs. What Sara needs is someone to feel safe with and help her heal. Irina's vampire side will do everything in her power to fulfill these needs_."

With that said I give Irina a hard look " _I will give you my approval with her for now but I will warn you do not press her in anything. You are going to want to have a more active role in her recovery and be closer to her. Everything you do from here on out is at HER speed. Not yours_."

T: "I would also suggest all interactions with Sara be done with the pride present until we are absolutely sure she feels comfortable with you being around. So far you have had minimum exposure to the three. All of a sudden you being a constant shadow will be unnerving I'm sure. And get your possessiveness in order now. Sara feels a connection with Emery and the rest, she is more physical with them. There is no place for petty tantrums like Kate pulled this morning. It will just drive Sara further away from you."

Irina nods her head at the suggestions. Rose huffs "So am I the only unmated vampire now?"

I laugh at the sneer on her face the jealous is coming thru in her tone of voice " _You wouldn't know your true mate if they walked up and bit you on the ass_."

Rosalie snaps her head in my direction "Excuse me."

E: " _You heard me. With how you are. I doubt you would recognize who your true mate is. You're to controlling. Plus from what it sounds like you never let your vampire side free in its entire existence. You have completely suppressed the vampire's nature in yourself, to become more human like. With vampires the ability to recognize its mate in another is all instinctual. So I'll say it again. You could have already met your true mate without even realizing it because you keep a tight lid on yourself at all time_."

R: "I would know"

I shake my head this women is to stubborn. It's not my place to educate her and I don't have the time. " _Believe what you will. However if you want to know more about the mating process why don't you ask Eleazar or Carmen_."

E: " _Back to the topic at hand. Irina I don't see a problem with you getting to know and supporting Sara in her time of need but do it slowly. It will be some years before her Were sees you as mating potential."_

Irina gives me a small smile before responding "I have waited this long for my mate so I can wait for Sara to be ready even if it takes centuries."

Rose gives a snarl and stands closer to the two sisters "Isn't this going to impact your succubus nature."

Irina and Tanya honestly look offended.

I: "Are you suggesting that I cannot control my primal desires?"

R: "Well if the shoe fits. Just last week you went on a three day fuckfest. And now you're sitting here saying you're going to put that on hold. I just find it hard to believe."

Tanya holds onto Irina's shoulders to hold her back before glaring at Rose. "Do not pass your ideals on to us Rosalie. We have been around a lot longer than you have. There is nothing on this earth that we wouldn't be willing to do or put ourselves thru for our mates."

E: " _Plus they are not real succubi_."

I: "What do you mean by that?"

I strung my shoulders " _Just that. You are not a real succubus. I have been will real, living, breathing succubi before and you three Denali's are not it. By the way if you three ever encounter the real thing I suggest you run. They are not too happy with your nicknames_."

Tanya narrows her eyes "What do you mean by been with?" I smirk at her " _What do you think it means?"_

R: "They are thought to be a myth."

E: " _That is true. And they will never show their true selves to vampires so you will never know if one is sitting right next to you."_

Irina shuffles and cocks her head "Why is that?"

E: " _They have no reason to. A real succubus will never have any need for a vampire. They cannot feed off of the dead. Well I guess they can but it messes them up_."

Tanya is still giving me a funny look before speaking "And has a succubus ever fed off of you?"

I am about to answer when the front door opens revealing Kate and Leah. They are holding hands so I take this as a sign that everything is patched up between the two. Kate comes strutting into the room like a proud peacock.

K: "So what did we miss?"

I turn to the other vampires in the room before giving the two newcomers my attention " _These three will fill you in. I have to get back outside with the cubs_." As I walk by Kate I grab her arm and pull her close to me as I lean over and whisper into her ear " _I didn't think I needed to say anything when you got together with Leah. But now I do, if you hurt her in anyways I won't kill you because I care too much about her. What I will do is maim you to the extent that you will be walking around for the rest of your existence with my marks. You remember Edward don't you?"_ I pull back and give her my feral smile before walking out the door.

 **Tanya's POV**

We all heard what Emery whispered in Kate's ear. By the look on Kate's face she believes her and she would be stupid not to. Leah knocks her shoulder into Kate's to get her out of her trance. The wolf has a wide grin on her face.

L: "You kind of brought that on yourself. Emery was giving you a free pass until she had to revoke it but now she will make sure that you stay in line."

Kate gulps and nods her head. "I guess I deserve that. I didn't treat you fairly or with respect this morning."

Leah turns to me and speaks "I take it that something happened while we were gone so which one of you wants to fill us in?"

Irina steps forward "I found my mate."

Kate squeals and jumps to Irina "That's great. Where is the lucky bastard?"

A snort comes from Rosalie and I give her a look that says 'this is not the time'. Irina freezes for a moment and then responses "It's Sara".

Leah and Kate look at Irina and not finding the right words. I take over the explanation of what happened and what was discussed after.

Leah shakes off her confusion quickly "I am going to go outside with the others. But Irina that little girl has been thru enough. If you hurt her in any way you don't have to just worry about Emery killing you." She let the statement hang in the air as she stomped her way out the back door.

Irina crosses her arms. "This has gone well so far" she throws herself onto the couch and puts her head in her hands "What am I going to do now?"

I make my way to her and run my fingers thru her hair "The same thing that the rest of are doing. Taking it one day at a time. That's all we can do right now. Be patient."

 **So, Thoughts?**


	18. Chapter 18

The Huntress – Chapter 18

 **I apologize if you run into any errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters used in this story except for Emery**.

Time Jump 6 Months

 **Emery's POV**

The house is finally in a comfortable routine. Eleazar and Carmen handle the kids schooling during the day teaching them history, math, the sciences, reading, writing, and languages. The schooling has consisted of the human curriculum and supernatural. Each kid has a one on one therapy session with Irina, Rosalie and Carmen every other day. At the end of the school day the kids have a quick snack before heading outside to practice the different stations we have setup: self-defense, ranging, meditation, climbing, evasion, and strength training. Most of the time it will be one individual per station and rotate every day. Each cub is at different levels and has their own personal strengths. Every third day we have group maneuvering with defensive shielding drills or offensive attacks. After dinner each night we try to do a group activity whether that is a movie, board games, card games, karaoke, or anything the kids can think of.

Sara has picked up writing short stories with help from Irina and Bella. Morgan has been learning how to paint from Tanya. Chris is still fascinated with cars and trucks. He is Rosalie's shadow whenever he gets a chance in the garage.

The only drawback is Rosalie. She is constantly going after Bella for every little thing. It got so bad after the first couple of months Bella just avoids her altogether. If Rose isn't making some snide remark she just blandly glares at Bella. That behavior might have gone over when Bella was just a human but now that she is a Leopard she gives as good as she got. No one really understands why Rosalie is so harsh with Bella but Bells refuses to play the little game anymore. I can't really blame her either, she tried so hard to be nice just to get it thrown back in her face. I have a theory about Rose's behavior, it's like the little boys on the playground that pulls your hair and throws dirt because he has a crush. Only Rosalie is too stubborn or ignorant to realize what she really wants. She is only pushing Bells further away which she must realize by now. So she is doing it intentionally. Which isn't going to end well for her.

Kate and Leah's relationship is still going strong. Every Tuesday and Friday is date night for them. They switch the responsibility for planning the dates between them both.

The Denali's have built extension wings onto the mansion for each member of the coven and a separate wing for us Were-cats. The main house is used as a more communal space, with the guest rooms, classrooms, training rooms, libraries, art, music and other dedicated interest rooms for everyone. Tanya came up with most of the design and supervised the construction. With 5 vampires that don't require sleep the project was finished quite quickly. A green house was built on the property for us to grow fresh vegetables, Morgan has a green thumb so we also have a section for flowers. Another new addition to the mansion was a walk in cellar with a staging area for meat processing. The vampires having a primary vegetarian diet. Which leaves a lot of animal carcasses but with the 5 weres and 1 shifter in the house none of the meat goes to waste. The hides I package and send to a primitive tribe of Hyena shifters I met in Africa years ago.

Irina has stuck to her word and interacts with Sara at her pace. With her help in therapy Sara has opened up more to Irina but at this stage she sees her as a friend, mentor and confidante. Sara and Morgan still share a room but are able to sleep in their own twin beds now. Chris still sleeps in my bed most nights but has been known to head to the living room of the main house to get a few more hours of tv time with whomever is lounging before sneaking to bed again.

Bella has started writing fictional stories and sent her first completed work to a publishing house not too long ago. She was motivated to pursue her passion from helping Sara with her short stories. Leah has recently gotten into carpentry. Leah and Kate broke so much of their bedroom furniture that Carmen and Tanya put a stop to ordering more. So that left Leah to fixing what they broke and it turns out she has a knack for wood work.

Tanya and I have grown closer. At first it was to keep the pride and coven afloat but now that everyone is starting to thrive it leaves us with more time to just get to know each other. We haven't gone out on any dates but there has been talks, walks, and just enjoying being in the others company. I can tell that Tanya is hesitate to take the step into dating. She brings me a different small gift every other day. I had to corner Irina and Kate after the first couple to ask what was going on. They explained to me that Tanya has never dated but back in her day what they did was court a romantic interest before dating. That the little gifts and talks were Tanya's version of courting me. Bella and Leah have also been on the receiving end of a few gifts from Tanya as well. I guess that is her way of seeking approval from them.

Today the house is in a stir because we smelled an unknown vampire making its way into our territory. Leah picked up on the scent this morning and sprinted back to the house shortly after. Us Weres haven't scent marked the area but the vampires have. So we are the unknown factor that this vampire will be walking into.

We will stand united when the vampire arrives. The covenant and pride has taken on more of an arrow head formation with Tanya and myself at the tip standing side by side. The 3 cubs are in the house with Irina and Carmen. If anything goes wrong and we all fall they are to run with the cubs to a safe location. We don't have to wait long for the vampire to arrive. He comes to a halt about 25 feet in front of us. He appears to have been turned in his late twenties with shagging shoulder length hair and a five o'clock shadow sporting a full goatee.

All I know is he has red eyes and looks like an asshole wearing trench coat, biker boat motherfucker.

I can hear Kate groan in the background and Tanya relaxes her stances a fraction. He sizes up our group before saying "What's with the Welcome party?"

Tanya takes the lead since it appears that they know him he may even be a friend of theirs "Garrett, now isn't really a good time. What are you doing here?"

He gives what I suppose is a boyish grin and winks at Kate before addressing her instead of Tanya "Well you said the next time I was in the area to stop by again. So we can pick up where we left off." O, did he just walk into a landmine. After he finishes his sentence Leah lets loose a deep growl and is now glaring holes in this fucker's skull. Kate looks over to Leah and grabs her hand to settle her. She whispers something into her ear before responding to Garrett.

"I am sorry that you came all of this way but I am no longer interested in picking up anything with you."

He smiles again and steps forward but stops when Leah starts growling "Come on Kate don't be like that. I know we didn't part on the best of terms last time but you have to understand I didn't want to create a mating bond with you and be trapped in one location." Leah's growls come to a stuttering stop and she rips her hand away from Kate.

Leah is completely ignoring everyone else and with precision accuracy nails Kate with her full on bitch glare. "You wanted to create a mating bond with this asshole and didn't tell me? So much for none of them meaning anything, huh." I give a side eye to Tanya letting her know that this guy needs to leave quickly before Leah kills him.

Tanya takes the reins again when Kate is still trying to speak too Leah "Kate is now fully mated to Leah here and does not wish to have any type of relations with you that she had prior. Also if you wished for a visit you should have notified us before entering our territory. We are not taking in any guest at the moment so I am going to have to ask you to leave this area immediately."

Garrett's eyes pass over our group again before halting on Bella and looking her up in down. Out of nowhere a snarl rips from Rosalie. Rose seems surprised by her own actions and quickly dons her Ice Queen persona. He glances at Rose before smirking. "Hello, again Rosalie. How is Emmett doing?"

I cut her off by stepping forward " _Listen trenchie I don't know you and you don't know me. But do you know how rare it is to find ones true mate?"_ He looks over to Leah who is silently fuming with Kate hovering or her. " _It's the greatest gift a vampire can receive. And you are fucking with theirs by simply being here. Now I am not asking, I am telling you now is not the time for you to be here_."

He pauses for a moments before bowing his head and knocking the cocky smirk from his face. He shows genuine concern before speaking again "I apologize for any inconvenience my presence may have caused." He straightens up and looks over to Tanya "I do hope that I can remain friends with your covenant. It is oddity to come across none hostile vampires these days."

Tanya moves to stand next to me again before addressing him "Of course I don't see why not given time. However remember to contact us first before heading into our territory. You got lucky today any uninvited vampire usually ends up with their head ripped off." She's cool and calm throughout the exchange even giving the subtle threat of decapitation. Tanya makes a hand gesture to Eleazar's. She informed Eleazar to see that Garrett makes it out of our territory. I know Elea will ensure that Garrett gets the 'keep your mouth shut speech'. Once I see that they are far enough away that Garrett won't hear us I turn to Leah.

" _Listen Le, I know you just got handed a bag of shit. But I need you to circle around and make sure trenchie doesn't double back. If he does light him up_." Leah nods her head and sets off to the woods. I look over to Kate " _What the hell are you still standing there for? Go with her. Try keeping her inside of our territory. She may be liable to chase him down and rip him to pieces anyways without the care of territorial lines."_

Kate stares after her for a moment before looking at us "You know I only ever loved Leah. I was with Garrett for a time but he never completely filled the void…"

E: " _Kate you have nothing to explain to us. We aren't the ones that need to hear it. Go ahead and go after your mate. She is the only one that you owe an explanation to but I hope you realize she is probably more pissed off about the lie than the relationship. Shit she was engaged before so she knows how it is_." I pat Kate on the shoulder and gentle shove her towards the woods. Kate doesn't waste any more time and blurs into the forest.

The rest of our group slowly disperses. Tanya and I are the last ones left. Tanya grabs my hand and we slowly walk back to the main house. "That was a nice pep talk you gave Kate. But I am afraid that they will still hit a few more snags along the way. That was just the first of Kate's regular acquaintances that stopped by."

I look ahead as I talk " _And what about you? Will there be any nomad vampires stopping to sniff around you?"_

She chuckles and shakes her head while tightening her grip on my hand "No I wasn't the type to have relations with many nomad vampires in the last few centuries. No many human drinkers remained civil with us so we chased most of them out over the years. The ones that didn't hold our diet against us were just a passing phase."

I let the subject drop after that and switch topics " _Did you hear Rosalie? For someone that hates Bella she didn't seem to like the appraising looks Garrett was giving Bells."_

Tanya full on laughs at that "She doesn't understand her feels towards Bella. I think she is afraid that is why she acts the way she does. I had hoped given enough time she would just give in to her feelings but I fear she will wait until something happens but by then it may be too late."

" _That is not our problem at the moment. Rosalie is old enough to do what she wants. And if she doesn't have sense then that is her down fall. With how she treats Bella I don't think she deserves anything from her."_

Tanya pulls me to a stop "I don't want to talk about that right now. What I want and will be honored is if you Emery Lenna Swan accompany me on a date this Saturday? You asked me once what I wanted. There is nothing in this world that I want more than you. So will you please go on a date with me?"

I huff and lean into Tanya before whispering in her ear with a husky timber to my voice " _Yes, Tanya_." I stand straight again and see Tanya has a glazed darkening look to her before I release her hand and sprint to the house laughing. By the time I reaches the front porch Tanya has caught up crossing her arms "That wasn't fair."

I opened the door before saying " _Maybe not. But it was fun."_

 **So, Thoughts?**


	19. Chapter 19

The Huntress – Chapter 19

 **I apologize if you run into any errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters used in this story except for Emery**.

 **Tanya's POV**

After the pride arrived our coven has been rejuvenated so to speak. After nearly a millennia my sisters and I have found a purpose. It feels like we are truly contributing to a real family. I know Eleazar and Carmen feel the same. The cubs are adored by every member and guarded with fierce protectiveness. Over the last six months it has been rewarding to see them start to thrive in their new environment. I don't think Emery realizes how special she is. She had the power and will to change the lives of those three cubs and that's not saying what she has done for Bella and Leah. Emery could have easily sent the cubs to another established pride. Her mother had offered to take the three in, not long after their discovery. But Emery was stubborn and the way she saw it, with her history with the poachers she knew intimately what the three were going thru and was determined to help.

Just hearing vague stories of Emery's time in captivity makes my fangs grow and venom to drip with the thought of retribution. We haven't had any encounters in our territory. But Emery wasn't so surprised by this, especially with this rag tag organization operating in unclaimed territory only.

Yes it has been an interesting six months. Kate is still learning the do's and don'ts of being in a committed relationship. After the incident with Garrett a few days ago, Leah never shying away from saying what was on her mind sat Kate down and explained somethings to her. It was quite entertaining to see a 1400 year old vampire put in time out. Leah was very fourth coming with what she wanted. She wanted the truth regardless of whether it hurt, instead of Kate spinning tails that she thought Leah wished to hear. So now they are on the road to recovery. Leah was withdrawn, at first until she spoke with Kate about how much it hurt to find out about Kates deeper relations with Garrett from him instead of her.

Irina is still reveling in finding her mate after so long even with Sara's heartbreaking backstory she couldn't ask for better support. When Irina was still human her family sold her to the local brothel so they could purchase a new horse to plow the fields. Sadly Irina knows too well what Sara, Morgan and Chris went thru. From what Irina told me of that dark time she was damaged so severely the first few nights that the trauma caused her to be barren she suspects. Not once did she ever fall pregnant and in those times women didn't have birth control just garden herbs that you hoped would work. When Sasha stumbled upon Irina she saw something in her. Once Kate and I met her and learned her story we couldn't help but see the similarities to our own backgrounds. We decided that night that Irina would be a part of us, if she so chose. Unlike Kate and myself who tended to use humans to pass the time in the beginning and to quench our blood lust. Irina was actively looking for her true mate. Longing for the one that would love her unconditionally from the very beginning. After everything to still try and grasp for love in all corners is a feat that not many have achieved.

That is why I cannot stand by and allow Rose to continue to burn every opportunity she has of exploring what affections she could have for Bella. It is starting to cause a divide. The pride see's and feels what is going on with Bella when she lets it slip. Which isn't often because she tries to remain calm and supportive when the cubs are connected to the pride link.

It's Saturday and instead of making last minute preparations for my date tonight with Emery. I have called Rose to my wing of the mansion to hash out her behavior. She is late and I am on the verge of getting up and dragging her into my office by her hair.

A moment later I hear a soft knock on the door and invite Rose to enter.

With all of the dramatics of one Rosalie Hale, she squares her shoulders and sits in a desk chair across from me.

I have my fingers laced together in front of me resting on my mahogany desk. I take a calming breath "Do you know why I called you in here today Rose?"

She smirks and looks around "Well this brings back a few memories of my high school days and being called to the principal's office." Rose flashes me a toothy grin "Are you going to suspend me, Tanya?"

So she thinks this is a joke. My sisters and I have always gotten along with Rose the most out of all of the Cullen's. Because she pretended to be a teenager but didn't act like one when not required to perform. When she asked for a place to stay after leaving her former place in the Cullen Covenant it was an easy decision to make.

"No I didn't call you in here to play some game." I straighten by back in the chair and project an air of seriousness that I have rarely had to use with Rose. I am Tanya the coven leader not Tanya friend at the moment and Rose needs to understand this. "You are here because I wish to discuss your behavior. More specifically your attitude towards Bella." Rose narrows her eyes and is about to interrupt. "I don't want to hear any of your excuses Rose. You attack her verballing all of the time. It is starting to affect others. What do you think goes through the minds of the pride every time something negative and harsh gets thrown at Bella? Do you know how many times Kate or Emery had to drag Leah out of a room before she tore your head off? Or how you are making the children uncomfortable with your assaults? You show them the caring side and make them feel comfortable but then turn around and claw at Bella. Emery is practically foaming at the mouth she can't be in the same room as you anymore. The only reason she is not confronting you herself is because I doubt you would survive the conversation and Bella wants to keep the peace. You talk down to Bella all of the time and Emery has killed people for less than that offense. Bella is the only one keeping Emery from going full throttle on you. What do you have to say for yourself? Why are you so against Bella? And I don't want to hear some excuse like you used when she was human about throwing her life away. That doesn't hold any water now."

Rose has her face cast down and is grinding her teeth. It's a slow grind with her eyes peeking thru her hair. She shakes her head before speaking "I don't know."

I scoff at that. "Since you refuse to see what is right in front of you and what your behavior is truly doing. I guess I'll tell you." I know this is going to hurt a person like Rose. I have spent many years getting degrees and Irina, Carmen, are not the only ones that hold some form of psychology degree under this roof. "I have known you for almost your entire existence and I have chosen to stay out of your affairs until now. But what you are doing is hurting those around you. Now I understand you had very little control over your human like. Your parents told you how to act, wear and who to marry. Your fiancé took one of the most sacred of gifts from you the last night of your human life. You were turned with the intension of being Edwards mate. Again someone else's ideals were thrust upon you. When you took Emmett to be turned, Carlisle and Esme pushed the two of you together because they thought that was what you needed to get better. They were wrong, your parents were wrong and what your fiancé did to you was wrong. You have spent the entirety of your vampire existence controlling your very own instincts and emotional stability and never letting anyone in. That was the only consistent thing you have had the reins on."

I pause to let that settle.

"Now I am going to ask you Rosalie, how does Bella make you really feel? Just Listen. I think she makes you feel something deeper than you have ever felt for anyone or thing. And that scares you. You are now in the scenario that what you feel for her is running away from you. So you have spent all of this time pushing her with these constant barbs. One day the vampire side is going to win out and you are going to want her it'll be unstoppable and at the rate you're going it'll be too late. The difference here is Bella doesn't need you Rose, if she feels something for you and binds herself to you it's because you deserve that privilege. Is it fair that they're kind gets a choice in the matter and you don't? Probably not but this is how our world works. Is your pride and fear worth losing her forever?"

Rosalie is looking passed me with glazed over eyes "It wasn't supposed to be this way. I hate her for making me feel like this. I don't want to feel anything for her and yet I can't stop it."

I stand from my desk before walking around it. I face the door while next to Rose before continuing "It can't go on like this anymore Rose. If you wish to stay then the comments and glares need to stop. I am not forcing you two together, how your relationship with Bella continues depends on the two of you. But I will no longer tolerate this animosity you hold and take out on her. You are a guest with the Denali Coven since you didn't wish to become an official member when you arrived. Emery's pride is now a part of us in more ways than one. I will not have Bella and the cubs walking on egg shells in their own home because you can't come to terms with your own feelings. You need to take time and really think about how you wish to do before you proceed." With that said I walk out of the office.

 **So, thoughts?**

 **The Rose Situation: I have always seen her character being unmoving when she really didn't want to do something until her hand was forced. I want to portray her as someone that will lash out at the unexpected and new because she is afraid of that level of vulnerability. Rose hasn't received the proper support or guidance from those around her. And had to always wear a mask to hide herself. The Rose/Bella potential is still a work in progress and undecided. Rose still has a lot of growing up and healing on her own to do. Bella's character has slowly been expanding her overall strength. She went from a victim of circumstances to being able to fight and kill monsters on her own. Yet she still maintains the peacekeeper front when it is for the betterment of the pride. You will see how Bella responds to Rose's behavior in upcoming chapters.**


	20. Chapter 20

The Huntress – Chapter 20

 **I apologize if you run into any errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters used in this story except for Emery**.

 **Its been awhile. I am picking the story back up. I still going off my original plan for the story. However, it will take some time to get to the action. Hint: It will involve a confrontation with the poaching organization and the mastermind behind it.**

 **Bella's POV**

Saturday the start of the weekend is one of my favorite days. Always has been even when I was still just human. It's a day to relax. Since joining the world of the weird as Emery likes to call it, I usually spend Saturdays reflecting and writing.

As I lay around in the back of the property in my leopard form perched up on a Sitka Spruce. I take the time to center myself and re-enforce my mental shields. I had learned a lot about manipulating the shield from my time in the Amazon but with help from Emery and Zar I can strengthen the mental and to a degree physical shield. Its like any other muscle that can be worked out, but I must take care not to go overboard and strain something.

Were-Prides are unique in the sense that if someone has a talent or a strength then they can be shared or learned from those within the bond if strong enough. Emery says that there are many theories out there as to the why this is a trait of prides verse packs. She is under the impression that packs are capable of such if they so choose.

I personally think that packs usually fall under our canine brethren and someone within is always striving to be top dog. So, sharing something as intimate to an individual as a talent or gift would potentially give an edge to a future opponent. I remember the wolf pack always trying to one up each other. Sam was alpha but Jake always saw himself as alpha without the responsibility. But Paul was always pointing out how he thought something should be and making sure to take credit for any ideas that benefited the pack. They were always jockeying for a higher position.

Prides are more feline, we're too aloof at times but picky and temperamental. But when it comes to a hunt or defending the pride it is no longer a game, its time to bring all strengths to the table and everyone then works together to take down the prey. Hoarding tools that can be used throughout the chain can be the difference between life and death. We tend to work smarter not harder.

The ultimate level of strength achieved for a pride is not the number of members but the ability to share gifts. This shows a level of expertise that not many prides are capable of. It also demonstrates that the pride bond is unbreakable. If a member of the pride leaves for whatever reason, they will still take what they learned with them. If that be a talent then they can still use it, but it will never be as strong as the person that the talent originated from.

Emery brings the ability to create fire. Raging walls, little zooming fireballs or tiny sparks. Less is more depending on the heat of her fires. She has learned a hand full of other talents from her time with her mothers' pride. But one of the most useful gifts she learned and that is closely related to my shielding is distortion. With distortion one can throw off other talents or follow it back to the source and mess with them.

We are not up to par with Emery's former pride. But Leah and I have been able to feel the talent when Emery has opened the channel in our link. We can feel the strength of it and that its there, we just can't see and grab it yet. Leah wasn't sure that she would be able to at first. Her old pack didn't have any special gifts except for physical side effects like running faster compared to the others and in some cases amplified senses beyond the standard but as supernatural beings you get those gifts with the change anyways. Emery had to share some memories of how she learned talents in the past with her mother. She shared the thought process going into the lessons and the changes she had to go thru in order to develop a talent successfully. The cubs are still not up to these advanced lessons just yet. They have enough on the plate right now. The only reason Leah and I can feel the hidden talents in Emery is because we had the bond of sister and childhood best friend before the development of the pride.

I thank the stars above every day for choosing to take Emery's bite instead of the venom of a vampire. I am no longer that sad, hopeless, shy girl waiting for things to happen around and to me. For others to direct my path. I have the fortitude to go out and do what I want. I don't have to be dependent on someone else to save or make decisions for me. I want to slap myself for the way I acted back then. I blame a lot of my codependency issues on Charlie and Renee. Charlie just didn't care enough when I was growing up. What father would be happy with just sending an occasional check and birthday card. No stable visitations. No scheduled calls. And he was happy with that. I am not even going to touch Charlie's relationship with Emery. Renee purposely put me in the position of paying the bills but waiting on her to bring the money to the table and having to go wherever she deemed was fun and exciting. While giving me the occasional scraps of affection. I was starved for attention and love. I dived into romance novels and just never popped my head back up. I was waiting for a knight to rescue me. And Edward walked right into that role.

Edward wanted to be that knight. The perfect predator for a teenage age girl. He knew enough of the psyche of a girl my age from his constant need to mindread all of those around him. The never-ending high schooler role gave him plenty ammunition to use to get his prize and play with it. Later just to destroy it when it is no longer appealing. Then begin the game anew. He was able to identify my weaknesses and play them against me. He knew my thirst for love, understanding and stable home life.

By giving me the glimpse of his own family, he set the bait. His devotion was just a bonus. I took every piece that was willing given to me. I ate that poisonous apple. So, the cycle began. As I reflect on the choices, I made from the first-time meeting Edward to walking out the door after discovering the peak of betrayals he and the Cullen's partook in. I ask myself would I do it all over again. And I have to say that my answer is NO. Emery would have always been in my life. So, I would have always had the possibility of being as I am now without the Cullen's and the lengths of misery that I had to go thru to arrive where I am now. I can say that I am smarter and more resilient because of the minefield I had to walk thru to get here.

Therefore, it has been so hard to turn the other cheek with Rosalie. She has always hated me. Talked down to me, glared every time I walked into a room. I swear she positions herself in my direct line of sight when I walk thru the threshold of a room just so I can see the scowl on her face directed at me. But what really gets to me is the comments she makes under her breath directed at my self-worth. She is just playing one of Edwards games. Trying to break me down. But to what purpose. I don't know. If she is trying to push me away, then she has succeeded. I maintain a calm demeanor because I must. The cubs don't need that kind of negative exposure. If I give her back some of the venom she puts out, she just reaches deeper and goes to levels that I would never stoop to.

I know Tanya is having a sit down with her. I just don't care anymore. Rosalie has used the last of my patience. This is my pride and family. I will no longer tolerant someone treating me like less than I deserve. I don't need anyone else straighten her out. I should have done it when we got here. It was a mistake not to. I refuse to play these little bickering games with her. She treats me like crap. I don't think she has the guts to try anything with Leah or Emery. She knows that they won't hesitate to kill her. Maybe she thinks I am a target because of my history with Edward and the rest of the Cullen's. I will give her an ultimatum if she doesn't leave me along then I will call a vote to have her removed from our territory. She is not a part of the Denali coven. Yes, she has a bonded with the cubs but at this point even that is suffering because of her behavior. They don't need to see that kind of cruel behavior. It's time for action.

 **So? Thoughts?**

 **I decided to pickup with Bella's POV. Its been sometime since we had her POV and she has gone thru so many changes. I wanted Bella to hit her wall with Rosalie's behavior. Which I can guarantee she has. Rosalie has never had a truly health relationship and the level of avoidance I presented her as having is about to bite her in a big way.**


	21. Chapter 21

The Huntress – Chapter 21

 **I apologize if you run into any errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters used in this story except for Emery**.

 **The Date – Emery's POV**

Kate and Irina have been driving me crazy with this date. Constantly teasing both Tanya and me. They will drop just enough intrigue about Tanya's plans but never give me an official answer. My curiosity has been high ever since. If they never intended on answering any of my questions than I rather they stayed quiet. That's the thing about sisters.

I can see the excitement in their eyes for Tanya. She is the oldest and has been a stable pillar for them since turning.

The only thing Tanya would tell me was to wear comfortable clothing that I wouldn't mind tearing or getting dirty. Which makes me wonder. Tanya chased them both off earlier today muttering something about to many roasters in the hen house.

Making my way down to the main living room I walk by the girl's room and notice they both have lasered in on a book that Bella had pointed out to them last week. It's a cross between Nancy Drew and a teenage witch fighting the forces of evil. As I approach the stairs my ears perk up as I hear The Love Bug movie playing on the tv for Chris. It has recently become a personal favorite of his. Carmen and Eleazar are responsible for watching the trio today. Kate and Irina decided to take a sisters shopping trip this afternoon and haven't gotten back yet. I am pretty sure Tanya sabotaged the car somehow. Leah is getting caught up with Seth and her mom. Bella usually spends the day writing or meditating but I noticed that she has spent a majority of today outside. Rosalie is tinkering or pacing.

Not wanting to disturb anyone in the living room I head to the front porch where Tanya designated as are check point to start the date. We decided not to lure the attention of the cubs with the fact that we maybe kind of dating or at least going on A DATE until it is a little more serious. The three have had a lot of change. This shouldn't be something for them to worry about.

It's now getting closer towards dusk as I lean on the railing of the porch waiting for Tanya.

She doesn't keep me waiting long but instead of coming from the house she is arriving from the tree line west of the property. I give her a dubious look as she gets closer. And it looks like if a vampire could get sick from nerves than I think Tanya would be the first. Tanya is displaying every anxiety tick I would think belongs to a solicitor pleading her case to the King of England. I also noticed that she is wearing just as laid-back type of clothing that I am. Her legs are enclosed in a decent pair of tan khakis and a thick wool sweater. I however have a pair of holey jeans and a black crew top with a set of chucks on compared to Tanya's boots that come up to her knees.

I find it endearing that a vampire with years upon years of walking this earth has such a nervous reaction to a first date. I am about to make a smartass remark to relieve some of the tension when I realized that to Tanya this is the first date with her Mate. If I reject her there will be no other person that she could love and devote herself too as deeply than she would to me. She has a lot riding on this date and what the future may bring. That puts a lot of pressure to make everything perfect.

Instead I just clear my throat and ask, _"Do I get to know where we are going on our date now?"_

Tanya shuffles her feet and gives me a shy smile before answering "I thought that it would be a good idea to have dinner and a show for our date." She straightens her back and looks a little more confident. "I believe that we could add our own twist of course."

She glides a little closer towards me and reaches tentatively for my hand. "We'll have to run to get there. I didn't want to go the route of a fancy restaurant and stuffy movie theater for our first date. I wanted a natural environment for us so we could be more of ourselves without having to perform for the masses…"

"Will you run with me?"

Tanya trails off a little after the invitation, awaiting my response to her plans for the evening.

I tug her hand towards me, forcing her to step a little closer before answering.

 _"I would like very much to run with you."_

With a brighter smile I motion for Tanya to lead the way. She offers to wait for me in case I want to shift into another form. I choose to stay in my human appearance to match her. Without further ado she takes off like a bullet. Shaking my head, I sprint after her. She leads me back the way she came, west of the property. Soon we are surrounded by tall pines and thick brush.

After thirty-minute Tanya starts to slow. Before I know it, we arrive at a clearing that was covered like a canopy on a bed by tall healthy trees. But straight ahead is a view of the hot springs. Tanya must have set some sort of lighting and dropped it to the bottom of the spring because a glow is emitting different colors from the bubbling water. She has a blanket and a basket set up atop a section of moss to the right and paper lanterns providing a soft light in the clearing. Tanya was able to provide a romantic and intimate setting for this date even in the wilderness.

Tanya steps next to me leading me by the arm towards the blanket "What do you think?

" _Its beautiful Tanya. You didn't have too but I appreciate it."_ I plop down as soon as we reach the blanket still taking in the lighting reflecting off the water close by.

She sits gracefully by the basket at the center of the blanket and opens the top. "I figured that we could share a meal. I know that we don't consume the same byproduct of an animal, but I liked the thought of providing for you." Hesitantly she pulls out a coffee thermos filled with hard cider for me and then separate containers filled with grilled vegetables and a meat steak by the smell I would have to say Elk. Lastly, she takes out an additional thermos. She must have seen my inquisitive look because she goes on to say "Blood for me, I thought that it would be awkward if I just sat here and watched you eat. I'm sure that could be creepy and off putting."

I get it now, this way we were truly having a meal together. " _That's thoughtful of you_." My stomach decided to step in and make itself known. She smirks and hands me the utensils along with the containers.

The food was still warm and cooked just how I'm inclined to grill my own. The steak was cooked just enough to warm but leave it juicy and bloody on the inside. I make my way through the food steadily while Tanya sips from her thermos. We make small talk about the household and general atmosphere of the coven and pride.

Once we finished our meal, I decide to take a closer look at the springs and invite Tanya to join me. The water is clear and with the chill in the air it created a mist above the surface slowly pouring over the rim. I sit near the edge and roll up my pants followed by taking off my shoes and socks so I can dip my legs in. Tanya copies my actions and scoots a little closer to me.

" _How about we play a game? I ask you a question, you answer and vice versa. No topic is off the table and there is no limit to questions. If we don't feel comfortable answering for any reason we can decide to pass with no further questions regarding that topic_."

Tanya laughs while nodding her head "I think that is a great idea. This would be a good way to get some of those burning questions I've had since I first saw you back in Forks."

 **Tanya POV**

With Emery's hand in mine I begin the game. I choose to start with something small but try sidestepping being cliché like 'what's your favorite color?'

"Hmm. This is going to be harder than I thought. I don't want to dive into the serious questions right away so I will start with something simple."

"Where were you born?"

Emery huffs and rolls her eyes. " _Something small sure. Okay, I was born on a remote island in the South Pacific far from civilization and surrounded by members of my mothers' pride. I don't even think the island has a proper name. I like to call it the Ashen-Rock Isle because of the cliffs near the beach_."

I absorb this little piece of information and realize its Emory's turn. This is like a double edge sword. Its great I get to learn a bit more about Emory and can make direct inquiries with her permission. But I might not like where her questions lead…

Emory knocks me out of that thought process with her own questions.

" _What did your human parents do? Or I guess back in those times what was their trade?"_

It takes me a minute to think that far back. I haven't spent a lot of time thinking of my human relatives after a few decades of being a vampire. I had Sasha and then my sisters.

"My father was a fisherman. We lived close to the Baltic Sea. Mother would repair the nets while watching me and my two brothers. At least until my brothers got old enough to join my father. By that time mother had died from a sickness. I think that these days it would have been diagnosed as pneumonia. After that I would fix the netting and prepare for the trading at the towns market."

I shake my head to dislodge the thoughts of that time. I have to be delicate with my next question but it's important "How is your mother an ally of the Volturi? Especially with the laws associated with killing werewolves?"

I run my thumb over her knuckles to let her know I meant no ill towards her family. She furrows her brow and takes a deep breath before answering.

" _Originally the law to kill all werewolves was brought about by Caius. He has a certain degree of hatred towards were-creatures. His thinking is that vampires should be the superior race. Were-creatures can be just if not more special than vampires. He has been pushing the prerogative to slaughter every Were that walks this earth. Even before he became one of the Kings of the Vampire nations._

 _I believe that is how he was noticed by Aro and his sister who were amongst the original members of the Volturi coven. They were looking for a brute that they could sent out to wage war if need be. At first, they allowed him total control to wage his war against Were-creatures because they didn't have a lot of interaction with them. It was a lot of speculation, not factual evidence back then._

 _The problem is vampires are turned because of venom. That has very changed. Were-Creatures are turned because of a bite or your born with the virus. But just like any virus it can mutate over time. Were-Wolves have a different mutation than Were-Felines. To add onto that the were-wolf virus became corrupt almost two thousand years ago. Its like a litter of pure-bred puppies. If a pup in that litter was born with an unexpected quality like short legs, different eye color or any other deformities like that. Most breeders would kill the pup or at least ensure that is did not bred in the future and possible pass on the deformities to a new litter. If it did then soon you would have a whole different dog breed. Sometimes the different breed works out._

 _But in this case, it didn't. It can be traced back to one man that cause the corruption in the were-wolves. According to the stories he was born Were. When he got older the pack was able to see that he was more aggressive and violate to his packmates. Prone to attack at the slightest thing. He did not follow the Alpha command or his sires. Eventually he was kicked out of the pack as a teenager. In retrospect the pack should have taken care of the situation with him another way._

 _Not even a decade later rumors started reaching packs and prides that were some distance away about entire villages being wiped out by some animal. A decade is all it took for that wild dog to gain a pack of his own that was just as wild and blood thirsty. He kept members in place with violence and gore. It was pure chaos. They fed off anything they could find even each other if you had fallen in fight. This gave a platform to people like Caius to wage war against were-creatures._

 _What he didn't consider was other Were groups at the time waging their own war against the corrupt group to ensure the survival of our race. Or that a "tamed" were-tiger making friends with a certain Queen of the Volturi. That was the start of the alliance of the groups. Caius was taken out of the talks by being out voted. The rise of the corruption was too much for even the Volturi to handle so it made sense to work against the common enemy._

 _If you notice the law now is to report a were-wolf sighting not engage. After the sighting has been confirmed the were-wolf is supposed to be investigated. If the were-wolf is feral and out of control than this is cause enough for them to be put down. I believe it's the same for feral vampires."_

And that is how we spent the rest of our evening well into the twilight hours. Just getting to know each other on a more personal level. The drive behind actions and passions. It was a perfect date. I want to know everything about my mate, and this was a huge step.

At the end of the night before we break the tree line at the manor Emery stops me by gentle putting her arm around my waist and bringing me to her side as we slow. I turn towards her wondering if we left something behind.

Emery just smiles leans and angles her face down but towards the side. Listening to the occupants of the house for a moment. And then very slowly she moves closer to me with a clear purpose. I'm given enough time to pull away or avert the angle if I wanted to.

Within seconds my world has been knocked off its axis again. Tenderly Emery kisses along my jaw line towards my chin. I feel a quick peck on my lips almost feather like. If I wasn't so focused and tracking her movements, I could have written it off. Soon there is no mistaking the action because Emery is firmly kissing my lips. It takes me a moment to comprehend the sensation. Its like liquid fire spreading throughout my body resonating deep in heart. I can't help but purr and groan at the feeling of my mates' lips on my body. I feel more than hear the rumple coming from Emery.

All to quickly the kiss ends with Emery pulling back for air. She keeps me close and I can't help threading my arms around her neck and tuck my head into her neck.

She has her hands joined together positioned on my lower back and squeezes a little tighter before releasing me. Leaning her head atop my own she says " _After a first date like that I thought it deserved a goodnight kiss. Especially away from the vultures inside."_

With a little encouragement from Emery I'm finally dislodged from her neck. We walk hand and hand to the front door where we depart with a quick peck on the cheek before disappearing to opposite ends of the manor.

I open the door to my room and am caught off guard by finding both of my sisters sitting on top of my bed. Both are sporting large smiles.

I get the feeling that the kiss wasn't as private as Emery hoped it would have been.

 **Thoughts?**


	22. Chapter 22

The Huntress – Chapter 22

 **I apologize if you run into any errors. I do not own any of the Twilight characters used in this story except for Emery**.

Emery POV

After returning to my room from my date with Tanya I gather my sleep clothes and head to the shower. As I told Tanya it was a perfect date for us. This was probably the first occasion that we got to just sit down and have a personal conversation.

I undress quickly and step into the hot stream of water to wash.

Before I close the shower door, I hear Leah make her way into my room after knocking on the door. I peak my head out of the trail of steam when Leah calls for me.

She makes her way to the bathroom entrance and pushes the door open all the way when I acknowledge her.

Leah gestures behind her as she asks "Hey, do you got a minute when your done in there?"

I wanted to catch you before you headed to bed." She pauses for a second and raising her phone. "I just got off a call with my mom and I want to run a few ideas by you."

I nod my head and wave her off. " _Yeah that's fine just give me a few minutes and I'll be out_."

As I'm soaking my body in the hot water and lathering up. I start to think about how the interworking's of our pride has changed and is continuing to develop with the Denali's. And more personally how things are slowly changing with me and Tanya.

The times that Tanya and I normally spend together are typically focused on the coven and pride. We usually discuss issues together before bringing them to the two merging groups for additional debate. We might be the leaders of each but gathering supplementary information and insight into any decision that would affect all of us is just common sense.

From what Bella told me the Cullen's would have what they called family meetings to deliberate topics such as Bella's turning. But it was mostly dictated by Edward since he took the role of "mate" and therefore was the only one that could make life changing decisions for Bella regardless of the input from these meetings or even Bella's opinion or personal beliefs. Rosalie has given me the impression that those with gifts held more power in the coven than those without. Carlisle often leaned towards Edward and Alice's side of an argument.

Leah had already shared that the actions of Sam's Pack was ultimately decided by Sam. And the only opinions he took into consideration was the Elders to a degree. But I believe he only accepted their input because if he fails to follow there set of laws for the wolves then, he didn't get that biweekly stipend check from the tribe.

You see the tribe had a community fund that they were supposed to use for public services like schools, medical clinics, nature restoration projects and the employees that ran or maintained these projects were paid from this fund. Well the money is actual government money that the tribe was approved for because of their native heritage and land rights. They also get some pretty good tax breaks. The town of Forks is their land that was purchased from the tribe. The state had also rented parcels of tribe acreage for forestry research projects. So, all this money was originally going to these public funds that the Chief and Council were over seeing.

Instead of using this money for the community projects, checks are sent out bi-weekly to members of the pack. The amount you received was based off your rank within the pack. Sam and Jacob received the most and the rest got scraps. The money remaining is either gone because of poor investments or into savings for the day they might ever have to bribe anyone to protect tribe secrets.

None of the members were able to maintain jobs based of the council's decision that it was required to be accessible 24 hours seven days a week. They couldn't leave La Push without approval. Whom you could interact with was based off the Alpha and Elders. If they didn't see a person as family or important to the tribe you were banded from further seeing that person. Apparently, Leah was isolated before she shifted. Her friends were Sam's friends so when they split, they were no longer her friends.

Due to the lack of revenue being produce in La Push the community became poor. And just like any low-income community this caused friction with the people that lived there. Most left La Push striving towards a brighter future. For those that chose to stay a lot of untraditional jobs were based off a barter and trade currency. The other jobs that are available are minimum wage retail positions.

Add on top of that new shifters with attitude problems. This has wreaked havoc in the form of physical altercations with those that are viewed as outsiders. Causing a lot of petty crime to go on. The people fear and loath the wolves to an extent. But to be honest the members of the pack can be intimidating and any possible illegal action they do that is outside of normal state/federal law doesn't have the same consequence that a would befallen a nonmember of the pack. The local police force in La Push look the other way.

Sue has been keeping Leah up to date about the coming and goings of the tribe since we left Forks in secret. Leah's mother has had to cut Seth out of knowing let alone of participating in these weekly chats because of the pack mind link.

Billy has let things go to waste since he's become not only chief but with the involvement of the pack. The tribe has taken a huge hit. He is still pampering the pack and covering up any unsavory activity.

Sue's council seat was taken from her after Leah left. Sam was able to invade Seth's mind and got just enough information to know that Seth and Sue were delaying the discovery and knowledge of Leah's departure. Seth has been running 16-hour patrol shifts causing him to drop out of high school shortly after we left. He is now treated as the lowest rung on the ladder just below any new shifters. Jacob hasn't treated Seth any better due to the departure of Bella. Seeing as Bella left with me and Leah. In his mind if Leah didn't leave then Bella would still be in Forks. Which I don't understand since Bella was with Edwin. So, she was eventually going to leave anyways.

Jacob is still seen as a Beta of Sam's pack because of not wanting the additional Alpha responsibilities. But still expects to be catered too because of his grandfathers' former position as Alpha.

According to Seth the Volturi eventually made a surprise visit with the witch twins presiding over the deliberations. In no uncertain terms the pack now must parley with any vampire passing through the area. The pack can have control over the land of La Push if clearly marked boundaries are set so vampires traveling can avoid their territory. A thick scents trail would have to be set. A vampire that enters must be asked to leave first and told of the no hunting rule for the area before it escalates. The only time that the pack can kill a vampire without question is if a confirmed exposure has taken place. And the Volturi must be informed. The Kings would prefer to hold a trial for said vampire but if no other options were available than an extreme measure was granted approval.

The pack has been periodically and randomly checked to ensure that they are enforcing the approved action plan. Apparently, the Kings weren't happy when they found out most of the inhabitants of La Push knew of vampires at least subconsciously for some. Guidelines had to be set for that as well. Only pack, council and mates could know the tales of wolf transformations and vampire encounters. It was no longer told around a campfire for all to hear. The Elders and Pack fought the changes set upon them to the point Alec took away all the senses of the pack. Meanwhile Jane unleashed her gift to demonstrate to the Elders just how easily it was to take out the wolf pack and leave the entire tribe vulnerable to slaughter. Which was an option if they didn't start abiding by the standard protocol set for them.

Other packs and prides elder's elite governance members usually handle the discipline and teachings of new shifter groups but the Volturi took a special interest since the Quileute wolfs have been killing vampires for centuries with no questions asked.

Just as I finish drying off to dress. I chuckle at the irony of an anti-vampire wolf pack being led on a leash by the oldest vampire coven in the world.

As I come out of the bathroom into my room. I see Leah flipping through the channels on my flat screen.

She huffs and tosses the remote to the side.

"So how was the date?"

" _Great. It was a very thoughtful date on Tanya's part. We got to learn a little bit more about each other."_

"Yeah you can cut to the good stuff. Irina and Kate would have practically stood on the roof watching you guys return if they could get away with it. The gaggle of them silently squealing tells me that you two did more than talk."

" _Every date like the one I had tonight should be rewarded in my book. Tanya was so nervous at the start though. It eventually smoothed out."_

 _And if you must know it was just a goodnight kiss at the end. Nothing more, nothing less."_

I sit at the foot of the bed and direct my attention to Leah

" _I know that you didn't come up here just to talk about my date with Tanya."_

Leah turns off the television and smirks at me. "No but its about time that something started between the two of you. I swear I was going to vomit with the amount of heart eyes and longing coming off Tanya if either of you didn't make a move soon."

I swat her on the knee.

" _Like you and Kate are any better. I gag every time I walk into a room full of your combined arousal. It hits everyone in the face the second you are alone together._

 _Shit, most of the time you guys don't have to be alone._

 _If anyone is rushing out of a room most likely it's because you and Kate started having eye sex. It's a clear indicator to get the hell out while you can."_

That just makes her laugh.

"What can I say? We can't keep our hands off each other. It's like a pulse or a charge connecting us. My wolf always knows where she's at in a room. Its ears are always perked up waiting for any sign that she needs or wants anything. "

Now she's full blown grinning like a loon. "She makes me happy. Her instincts are practically the same as the wolfs when it comes to mating. We'd do almost anything for one another. Her being happy makes me happy."

I groan and shake my head _"Well I'm glad that she's making you happy Leah. You deserve it."_

She pauses for a minute in thought "It was rocky there for a bit. Nothing earth shattering. But it was hard to balance me and the wolf.

When Kate omitted some truths because she didn't want to upset me or became an asshole. I wanted to be angry and argue. While the wolf wanted to make everything better.

Its normal for everyone to fight in a relationship. So, it was hard to communicate that I was upset with Kate with a wolf whimpering in the background."

I laughed imagining Leah trying to talk while at the same time her wolf crying out to block every word that came out of her mouth while sitting next to each other on the couch.

" _Besides our relationship statuses, what else is going on?"_

Leah beams and sits back against the headboard.

"Mom had been holding back on me for the last couple of months."

She snorts before informing me that Seth broke his pack bond from the La Push wolves. He just got to the point where he had enough. And the wolf inside of him didn't deem anyone of them worthily of his loyalty or obedience. Sue and Seth moved out of La Push shortly after and purchased a house in Forks with the money Kate and Leah set them up with.

Kate earn a lot of points when as soon as she heard Leah's complete story, she made it her priority to ensure Sue and Seth were also financially provided for since Leah was gone and couldn't help physically. They could afford to have a house anywhere in the world. However, both saw it as gaining freedom for the first time and didn't want to face to many unknowns, so they decided to stay local for now. Sue transferred to Forks hospital and was put on a OR rotation. Seth has enrolled in night classes to get his diploma while working a road construction job during the day. Both have been optimistic since leaving the tribe. Seth has offered his help to the pack if it was needed but stated he didn't want to be in any of its affairs.

" _How did Sam and the Elders take them leaving?"_

"As you can imagine good ole Sam was livid. And the council was all fire and brim stone for Seth even thinking about leaving. Saying that it was his duty to honor the tribe and his heritage."

Seth pointed out that it was also his right to be treated fairly. And that leaving was the best thing for him. That he couldn't stay in that toxic environment any longer.

But there wasn't a lot Sam or them could do. Seth had the support of my mother and he's over 18. The Elders and Sam can't afford to lose anymore wolves and according to Seth a lot of them don't hold any respect for Sam. At first a lot of the members didn't speak up for Seth but over time and sharing a link with Seth they were forced to experience things from his side. And found Sam's treatment unfair and baseless.

It was easier for Sam to acknowledge the losing of Seth as a pack member and let the bonds die when he realized it was one less negative view of him in the link.

I think he's hoping to gain complete control over the pack again. He started losing traction with them around the time Volturi arrived."

" _Is Seth and Sue fearing any retribution from the pack? Because we can protect them if they're afraid of retaliation"_

Leah shakes her head "For now they don't think that the wolves will do anything. Seth is still a Quileute wolf so its against tribe law to kill one another. The worse is banishment but that's kind of moot since they no longer live on the reservation. If Sam physically tries to force Seth, then he risks losing more members. He's on a fine line with the pack bond and Jacob isn't adding to strengthen the ties either.

I think Jacob is just sitting back until Sam finally loses the Alpha position and steps in to save the day. But he's in for a rude awakening because the pack almost views him just as negatively as Sam.

He was and still is obsessed with Bella and hopes to find her one day. I mean they never dated and she's not his imprint so the amount of time he dedicates to imagining a future with her and finding her is creepy. Also, he expects to be treated as royalty.

A lot of the tribe is disappointed that Jacob isn't a more mature member to lead the pack to a better future and stabilize things. He's content to watch the struggle of the pack and sits back saying things shouldn't be this way but not doing anything to improve the situation.

The tribes influence in Forks is almost nonexistent since they are troublemakers. So, Seth and Mom moving to Forks is perceived as a logical choice from the locals. Who would want to stay living there?"

" _Well monitor things closely going forward. Sue and Seth are family so if they run into any trouble, we'll be there to help them in whatever capacity they need."_

After wrapping up our talk Leah proposed a group trip to meet up with Sue and Seth and have a mini vacation. Along with introducing everyone to each other. Leah has wanted to stay close to Seth but was unable to do a lot of things with him since leaving and Seth remaining a member of Sam's pack, but she now can bridge the gap that was created.

I think the idea has merit. And a vacation will be good for everyone.

 **So, thoughts. Next up we'll delve a little deeper into the Rose/Bella dynamic. I'm playing with the idea of Bella starting to take steps into the relationship kiddy pool so to speak with someone. It will be one of those relationships that you know won't last but it will set a standard for how she wishes to be treated. She'll get something positive out of it regardless of the longevity of the relationship. Because let's be honest, she hasn't had any luck with healthy romantic relationships. And I don't think she's at that stage where she has one-night stands.**


End file.
